


Of Crime Fighters and Secret Keepers

by laurially



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Angst, F/F, F/M, Fluff, bamf Felicity, felicity centric, i don't know how to tag, one shots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-25
Updated: 2015-10-05
Packaged: 2018-04-06 02:42:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 32,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4204941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laurially/pseuds/laurially
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of mostly felicity/olicity centric fics that will include lots of other arrow characters.<br/>Cross posted from Fanfiction.net.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Of Misinterpretation

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, so I'm not new to fanfiction, but this is my first go at writing Arrow so please bare with me while I get into the swing of things.  
> These will not always follow the most recent story lines in the show.  
> Enjoy!
> 
>  
> 
> **Felicity and Tommy are friends and Oliver is totally not jealous at all.**

The first time he sees them, Oliver pays no notice to it. She's his IT girl - his _partner_ \- and he's his best friend. Of course they were going to cross paths eventually. So, when Oliver shows up to Verdant and finds Tommy and Felicity chatting at the bar, he just says a quick 'hello' to them both and continues down to the basement.

.

He becomes somewhat curious when, a half hour later, Felicity still hasn't come down and when he goes in search of her, he finds that she's still perched on a bar stool, laughing at something Tommy had said, whilst the latter just grinned down at her. He doesn't dwell on it, though; Tommy had always been a charming guy, especially when it came to Women, and Felicity was a talkative person, so there was no reason for him to find this encounter strange.  
Oliver most certainly does not spend the next ten minutes trying to figure out if he could make her laugh like that. Definitely not.

.

It's been a week since he saw any interaction between the two, and so Oliver's come to the conclusion that his first instincts on the matter were right; two people with a mutual friend who'd inevitably met and introduced themselves. Nothing more.

That's why it comes as such a shock to him when he sees them walking down the street together one Saturday afternoon. He'd been scoping out the glades, dressed not in his arrow suit, but rather a causal pair of jeans and shirt -it was the middle of the day, after all - in the hopes of stumbling upon something that would help him in his latest mission.

Oliver had spotted the pair side by side on the other side of the road, tubs in their hands of what he believed to be ice cream. Felicity was talking excitedly about something, waving her arms around as she spoke, whilst somehow managing not to send any of the mint choc chip flying. Beside her, a grinning Tommy nodded along with whatever she was saying, occasionally chipping in to the conversation.

It's only after they'd rounded a corner and were out of his sight that Oliver relaxed the hands that he hadn't even noticed were balled into tight fists at his sides.

.

The whole thing becomes completely, ridiculously impossible to ignore one day when the young Merlyn comes bounding over to Diggle, Felicity and he at one of the infamous Queen parties and the first thing he does is call 'Hey, Lis' before pecking the blonde on the cheek. He turns to the two men after that, shaking Dig's hand in way of greeting before turning to hug his best friend.

A minute later, when Diggle turns a smirk and a raised eyebrow in Oliver's direction, it is _obviously not_ because the pat Oliver placed on Tommy's back was harder than usual. Because it wasn't. Obviously.

When the night comes to an end and they're all saying their goodbyes, Oliver doesn't spend one second staring at the smudge of lipstick on his best friend's cheek, left there by Felicity when she'd kissed it. Not. One. Second.

.

It's two weeks later and Oliver thinks he's finally had enough. 14 days of talking, laughing, hugging, going out for lunches, yada, yada, yada. The knowing glances that Diggle's been throwing his way have in no way made things easier.

Although, he was still confused as to why he found it all so difficult to watch in the first place (Tommy would later confuse him further by laughing at him and calling him an 'oblivious fool').

He's not sure what it was that finally made his curiosity - Diggle insits it was jealousy, but Oliver, of course, ignores him - reach it's peak but it did, and so he eventually just comes right out with it down in the foundry one night.

"What's going on with you and Tommy?" He blurted, cutting off a ramble that had something to do with hard drives and wine. She stared at him for a moment, tilting her head in question. Oliver focused on her completely in an attempt to ignore John's sniggering somewhere behind him.

"What do you mean?" She responds, eying her friend suspiciously.

"I mean, what's going on with you two? You're both all touchy and flirty all the time - I didn't even know you guys were friends, let alone dating." He explains, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. Which, of course, it was. _Of course._

"Wait, w- _dating_? Tommy and I? No, no, no, no. That's just weird! Not that there's anything wrong with him, of course! I mean, he's handsome, funny, kind charming, the list goes on. He has his flaws, too, though, obviously. Everybody does, right? Except maybe the people who made google, they're a God send! Even you guys have flaws," She stopped when Oliver raised an eyebrow at her, shifting awkwardly in her seat, "One of mine is talking too much, I don't know if you've noticed, and also..."

 _Oh_. Friends. They were friends. Not dating. Just friends. He could be okay with that. 

Oliver can't help the little smile that tugs at his lips as he listens to her ramble on - not because he finds it adorable, though. Because he doesn't.  
Okay, so maybe he does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't particularly like how this one ended, but I just couldn't think of the right way to put it, so I guess this will have to do. Please let me know what you think, good or bad, and whether you think I should continue with these.


	2. Of Fear Fighting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara and Diggle are training Felicity to fight. Oliver doesn't like it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was inspired a little bit by something Stephen said in his 50th ep Q&A.

"Your feet need to be a little bit wider, like - yeah, that's better." Sara's voice rang clear through the foundry, though only herself and Felicity were there to here it. Oliver was attending some charity event and Diggle was there with him, acting as his body guard. 

When the youngest Lance girl joined team arrow, she was both shocked and appalled at the lack of self defence training the IT girl had. All this talk from Oliver about the blonde needing to be kept safe and yet he'd never taken the time to show her how to protect herself.

When Sara had tried to raise the idea with him, Oliver had immediately shot it down, claiming that she didn't need the skills for something she wasn't going to be taking part in. _Felicity's place is down here at her desk, he'd said, she doesn't need field training if she's not in the field._

This is why the vigilante had not been filled in on the lessons John and Sara had been giving Felicity. They were spoken of in hushed voices and only ever took place when Oliver wasn't around to see it. 

Felicity had gotten rather angry when she'd heard what Oliver had said, and then proceeded to use her loud voice to call the man a damned idiot and all but demanded she be taught how to fight - only the first part she'd said to his face, though. 

So, for two months, they'd trained Felicity in secret, although it was a lot easier than they'd originally thought it would be; the man was supposed to be observant, but somehow he'd never noticed the distinct increase in times he'd come down to the lair and Felicity was in gym clothes rather than one of her normal, bright dresses.

They got too comfortable, though, in their belief that Oliver had no idea about what was going on, and they got sloppy in their attempts to hide it. It was only a matter of time before they got caught.

Felicity was working on one of the practice dummies, throwing kicks and punches, with Sara instructing her on what she was to do and telling her how she could improve. They were so focused, in fact, that neither heard the phone ringing or saw the warning texts from Dig, thus they were not expecting one Oliver Queen to be returning to the foundry that night. 

The door burst open, startling them both - Felicity more than it did Sara - and Oliver was down the stairs and staring at the two women before either of them could even try to move. Felicity opened her mouth, ready to offer some sort of lie, but then thought better of it. 

"What are you doing?" Oliver all but growled, his voice low and quite. Diggle stepped around the angry man to stand next to the two women, ready to step in when the inevitable fight broke out.

"What it look likes, I'm teaching Felicity how to defend herself" Sara said, head held high, eyes locked with Oliver's. "What are you doing here? You're meant to be at some big event."

"Don't turn this around on me," He yelled, "I specifically told you not to do this, Sara, and you went behind my back and did it anyway!"

They were practically nose to nose at this point, Oliver with fists clenched at his sides and Sara with her arms crossed tight over her chest.

"Oliver, man, calm down," John cut in, placing a hand on his friend's chest to push him back a little, "it's been going on for a couple of months, no one's gotten hurt."

"Two mon- wait, you _knew_ about this?" The vigilante was seething, his voice loud and echoing, eyes piercing into Digg's with pure rage.

"I've been helping, and I don't see what your problem is; it's not fair that we put Felicity in so much danger without any way to defend herself." John reasoned, voice remaining surprisingly calm as he held his position between Oliver and the two blondes behind him.

"She has us!" He yelled back, "She doesn't need to know any of this stuff, she's almost never in the field, anyway!"

"Yeah, um, hi, girl in question is actually standing right here, so," Felicity piped up, raising her hand a little. "If you don't mind, I'd like to chip in here, or am I not allowed to do that either?"

Diggle smirked at Oliver, raising an eyebrow as if to challenge him to deny her this; Digg loved watching Felicity respond to the ridiculous things the other man said.

"Well, no one's saying anything so I'm just going to hop right in to it," She mumbled, but the silence in the foundry made it easy for them all to hear what had been said, "They're training me because I asked them to, not because they take pleasure in going against everything you say - although, to be honest, we all kinda do. I mean, you know that your word isn't law, right? Sometimes you say the most ridiculous things and just expect us all to go along with - not that everything you say is ridiculous, on occasion you actually have some good ideas, not that you ever have bad ideas but-" 

"Felicity, breathe" Sara interrupted, giving the other girl a quick smile and a nod.

"Right, sorry, my point is, I want to know how to fight. I know I'm almost never out in the field, but sometimes I am, and sometimes you're not going to be able to be thereto save me." Oliver looked like he was about to respond, but was stopped when Felicity held up one hand to him, "I know that I'm well protected during missions, but even out of missions, I'm not always safe. Oliver, this place is in the Glades, it's the most unsafe place in Starling city, and I walk out into that alleyway alone in the earlier hours of the morning almost every day. There won't always be someone around to protect me" She finished.

Oliver seemed to consider this for a moment, before turning to address the other two occupants in the room, "Could you give us a minute?" He asked, then added a 'please' as an afterthought. Before responding, they turned to look at Felicity, who nodded her head at them in assurance. Sara hesitated for a moment, but eventually went to follow Diggle up the stairs, fixing Oliver with a hard glare as she passed him.

The door slammed, ringing in the silence left between the two. When a minute past and Oliver still hadn't said anything, just stood there staring at her, Felicity began to grow impatient.

"Look, Oliver, if you're not going to talk, I'm going home," She began moving to her desk, intending to collect her things and get out of there, but she was stopped when a strong arm wrapped around her arm.

"I can't have you getting hurt." His voice was quiet, his eyes staring straight ahead, refusing to turn and meet her gaze.

"And I'm getting training so that I won't," Felicity responded, baffled by whatever none sense was going through the man's head.

"You don't understand," He finally turned his head to stare straight into her eyes, and the look Felicity saw their held so much sincerity she found it hard to breathe for a second, "if you learn to fight, then this all becomes to real. There'll be no reason for me to demand you be kept out of the field. I need you to be here, Felicity."

"Just because I can do it, that doesn't mean I will, Oliver," She sighed, her voice now a lot softer, "I know I'm just here to run the computers, okay, I won't be running out there and getting in the way of things."

It was her turn to cast her gaze away from his, seeming to find a sudden interest in the training mats. The pressure of Oliver's hand on her arm ceased and she considered turning away when she felt it press against her cheek, instead, gently raising her face, though her eyes still refused to meet with his.

Only when he said her name, quiet and demanding, spacing out each syllable did Felicity finally return her gaze to his eyes. Another moment of silence passed before Oliver broke it.

"It's not about you getting in our way, Felicity, it's about getting in _theirs,_ " He breathed, "Its about guns firing at you and fighters twice your size throwing punches and you taking the hit. It's not that I don't want you by my side, it's that I can't have you there." There was a double meaning to his words and both parties knew it, though neither acknowledged it, "It's not that I think you couldn't handle it out there, it's that I couldn't handle it if anything happened to you, if you-" If you _died._

The words went unsaid, but they still seemed to echo through the room so much louder than anything else either had said, hanging in the air.

Finally, she understood what he was saying, what all of this was about; Oliver didn't want her in the field because he was scared. He thought that she was learning to fight so that she could be out there in the midst of the action, where she could get hurt. It brought her back to when she'd gone to the bank to find Tockman alone and he'd been so, _so_ angry.

"You're not going to lose me." Felicity whispered, echoing his words to her from so long ago when she'd gone to tell him about Thea's true parentage.

"If you're going to insist on doing this, then I need you to promise me that you won't be in the field." His voice was hard and strong, leaving next to no room for argument.

"You know that sometimes I have to, like when something technology based needs to be done on site, or when-"

"Felicity, promise me, unless it is completely necessary, you will not go out into the field. You won't engage with anyone unless you have to and you'll never set out alone. Again."

_Well,_ she thought, _at least he's not throwing a famous Queen tantrum and stopping me from training - not that he could._

"I promise."

For the first time that night, he smiles at her.

She smiles back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This got away from me a little and ended up being a lot longer than I had initially intended for it to be, but I'm not too unhappy with the outcome. If you find any issues in this chapter, or any other chapters, please don't hesitate to let me know.  
> I hope you enjoyed it, thanks for reading :)


	3. Of Eavesdropping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver eavesdrops on Thea, Laurel, Sara and Felicity. They notice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, so, again, I want to thank you all for the response to these one-shots and for taking the time to read them, I appreciate it so, so much.   
> Enjoy!

When Oliver walks into Verdant that night, he expects things to be as they usually are. Felicity behind her desk downstairs, ready to hand him some new information, Diggle and Roy sparring or maybe tucking in to some big belly burger and perhaps even Sara practising with her bo staff.

He does not expect to walk down into the foundry and find only one of those four there, and even he looks like he's getting ready to leave.

"Digg," Oliver calls out, halting the man as he's slipping back into his jacket, "where is everybody?"

"Upstairs; Roy's behind the bar and it's girls night out," he explains, slipping his phone into his pocket as he begins to walk in the direction of the stairs.

"What? Why aren't they down here, we should at least be out on patrol!" Oliver snaps, gesturing around the room with his arms.

"Look, man, everyone was here, earlier; Felicity ran some checks, came up with no new leads on any of the cases we've been looking into and nothing else that the SCPD couldn't handle. So, we decided that we wanted a night off and the best way to get it would be to be gone before you got here." Digg says, casually, like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"And what if something important pops up, Diggle, what then?" Queen demands, clearly irritated by the absence of his team.

"Then, you call us and we'll come back. The girls and Roy are just upstairs and I'll be at home spending time with a pregnant Lyla." he pats Oliver's shoulder as he passes him, but stops halfway up the stairs, "Everyone's been working real hard, man, just give them one night." 

And then he's out the door, leaving Oliver alone.

Alone and bored.

Bored, bored, bored.

It comes a surprise to Oliver when he realises his boredom stems from the lack of having his team - his friends - around him; he'd spend five years on an island, for Pete's sake! Though, even then he was never really alone, not for long, anyway. He's grown so used to having these people surrounding him in every moment of his life that he's forgotten what it's like without them. It's lonely.

It takes half an hour after Diggle leaves for Oliver to decide he can't just sit there any more. He's tried the salmon ladder, beating the dummy, sharpening his arrows, but it's all so mundane without the sounds of Felicity's fingers running over the keyboard or the smell of a big belly buster.

He ventures upstairs, hoping a drink will help him, and finds himself sitting on one of the white bar stools. Oliver's about to order his second scotch when he hears familiar giggling and turns his head in the direction of it.

Sitting around a table not far off from the bar are two blondes and two brunettes, all laughing and chatting away to each other. He watches as Roy walks over to them with a tray of drinks, though none of them appear to be anything alcoholic.

The drinks are distributed around the women and Oliver notices that a smile is spread across Roy's face as he does it, replacing his usual irritated frown.

"Thank you, babe," One of the girls says, and Oliver nearly loses it when he realises someone who is not his little sister is referring to Roy in such a way when he realises that he knows that voice and it is his little sister.

In fact, he knows the voices of all four women sitting at that table, but still he glances over at them to make sure. There sit Thea, Sara, Laurel and Felicity, the two Lance sisters next to each other at the round table, with Felicity to Sara's right and Thea to hers.

_Girls night out, huh?_ Oliver had assumed that Diggle just meant Sara and Felicity chatting up here, maybe having a drink together, he did not expect to see his little sister and ex-girlfriend with them.

He turns away from them, deciding that he's had enough to drink for one night and should head back to the foundry, but finds his attention drawn back to the women as Thea shrieks out an 'oh my God'.

Oliver goes into red alert for a moment, thinking there's some kind of danger, but relaxes when he realises that the four are laughing again.They carry on that way for a minute before finally calming down a bit, huge grins plastered across all of their faces, and start to chat.

He considers leaving, again, this time actually getting as far as standing up, but then he hears his name and he stops, turning his full focus onto the table nearby.

"Yes!" he hears Sara shout, "Oh my God, he does that all the time!"

"Ooh, when he's all upset or angry and just sits around moping all week." Laurel giggles, earning nods from her companions.

"I think the word you're looking for is brooding," Felicity's voice chimes in and the laughter increases.

"It's one of his only settings," Thea states, matter of factly.

"And his others?" Laurel asks, lifting her drink to her lips.

"Well," Thea starts, "There's playboy, judgy, broody - of course - business man and, on occasion, mushy Ollie." 

_Wait,_ Oliver thinks, _are they talking about me?_

He pushes his chair a little closer to their table as subtly as he can, hoping to be able to hear them better.

"What about 'over protective Oliver'?" Sara chips in, and the other three women let out a hum of approval.

"Clueless and oblivious Oliver," Laurel adds.

"So, unbelievably clueless," Thea agrees, raising her glass in the middle of the table, to which they all clink their own glasses.

Oliver thinks he can see a knowing look pass between the women, but from his position, he can't be sure, especially when he can only clearly see the two Lance sisters' faces. He can't help but feel a little insulted and an anger surges through him to know that his friends take such pleasure in talking about him behind his back.

"How many times have you had to teach him how to answer a skype call at work?" Sara asks, nudging Felicity with her elbow.

"More than I should have had to." is her simple reply.

"On the topic of Oliver's cluelessness," Laurel says, a knowing tone in her voice, "when do you think he's going to realise his feelings?" She giggles, drawing out the last word.

"Knowing him, never." Thea responds, "Denial isn't just a river in Egypt."

"I think he already knows," Sara counters, taking a sip of her lemonade before continuing "he's just scared."

"Scared of what?" Thea asks.

"That he's not good enough, and he is," it's the older Lance who answers, "or, at least he could be." 

"Another one of his settings; self depreciation." Sara finishes.

Oliver leans forward a bit in his chair; _feelings?_ he wonders, _what feelings?_

"Okay, can someone fill me in on what exactly we're talking about?" Felicity's voice pulls Oliver back from his thoughts and he finds it relieving to know that at least someone else doesn't know to what it is the other women are referring.

Sara, Laurel and Thea share a look before giggling at their blonde friend, all reaching over to pat her arm softly. 

"I guess that makes two of them, then." Thea's voice is light and teasing, but there's a slight hint to it that suggests she's not totally kidding.

"Two of wh- guys, seriously, what am I missing?" Felicity is practically pleading with them now and Oliver finds himself wishing that he could see the look on her face.

"For someone with a genius IQ you sure do miss some pretty big things, Lis," Laurel replies, earning more laughter from her sister and Thea.

"I get this feeling like I don't want to know, anyway," He sees her shrug, bringing her glass up in front of her, presumably to take a swig of it.

Oliver wonders what colour lipstick she's wearing tonight; something bright, of course, a pink or a red most likely. He takes a moment to appreciate what of her he can see: her hair is pulled down from it's usual pony tail, flowing in soft curls, and the blue dress she's wearing fits her so perfectly. 

He only realises how lost in thought he was when Roy approaches him with a drink in hand and pats his shoulder. When Oliver looks up at him, he sees a smug smile spreading over the young man's face as he goes to set the glass down in front of him.

"I didn't order this." Oliver says, furrowing his brows.

"I know." Roy's grin only widens as he moves away, revealing four women, two blondes and two brunettes, sitting at a table with their glasses raised to him.

"To Oliver Queen," Laurel begins, smirking at the afore mentioned man, "for being the broody, mushy, clueless, _eavesdropping_ ass that he is."

All four of them laugh as Oliver just sits there gawking - it's mostly because they just caught him listening in on their conversation but it's also a little bit because now he can see Felicity from the front and _she's just so beautiful_ \- and finish their drinks off before standing from their seats. 

Together they begin to pick up their bags and jackets, making to move towards the exit, still laughing. Felicity, though, hangs back for a moment, giving the man before her a pointed look.

"You know, if you wanted to know what we were talking about, you could have just asked." She quirks an eyebrow at him, reaching over to place a hand on his arm.

"Just asking right out," Oliver begins, "you know that's not how I do things." The pair share a smile before Felicity turns to walk away from him, but Oliver stops her before she's made her first step.

"Do you really think all those things of me?"

She turns back to face him, a slightly sympathetic smile on her face, and says 'yes', causing Oliver's face to fall completely.

"But, there is a whole load of good on the list too, you know. We just said all that other stuff to tease you."

"Mhm, like what?" Oliver asks, the corner of his lips rising back up slowly.

"I'll go through it with you one day." She promises, her smile now one of pure happiness.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, again, not quite sure this is where I wanted to go with this but that's what you get when you spend days with the document open and just refuse to work on it.   
> I hope you liked this chapter, please let me know what you think! Thanks for reading


	4. Of Digglet watching

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver offers to babysit for Dig and Lyla. Oliver knows nothing about babies.

"Oliver?" Felicity asks, worry evident in her voice, "What's going on, are you okay?"

"Felicity, I need you to get here now." Oliver replies, frantic and strained.

"I'm leaving my apartment now, where are you?" She now has her phone pressed between her shoulder and her cheek as she forces her boots onto her feet.

"I'm at home, in the mansion." Over the sound of his voice, she can hear something loud and shrill in the background.

"Oliver, is there a dying cat sitting with you, or something?" She inquires, having to pull the phone away from her ear a little bit when the whaling gets to be too loud. 

"No time to explain, just hurry." There's a long beep that lets Felicity know the call has ended. She slips into her little red mini and drives as fast as she can - but still safely, of course - to the Queen manor. 

A few minutes later, she's about to knock on he front door when it's thrown open, revealing a stressed and dishevelled looking Oliver Queen. He latches onto her arm and pulls her over the threshold and towards the living room - towards whatever it is that is making that horrific noise - without so much as a hello.

"It's in there." He says vaguely, waving his hand towards the room before running it through his hair with an exasperated sigh. 

"What is- oh." Lying on one of the couches is a tiny baby, crying it's poor little heart out and waving it's arms in the air. "Why is baby Digg lying on your couch?" She inquires, after she realises that she definitely recognises the child.

"I offered to babysit for them because Digg and Lyla just wanted a night out, you know, but it just won't stop crying!" 

Felicity rolls her eyes at the man who clearly has no idea what he's doing, before moving forward and scooping up little Sara into her arms. She begins cooing at her and rocks her gently from one side to the other until she begins to calm down. 

After only seconds, the baby's cries have all but vanished, replaced by a soft giggling sound as Felicity pokes his nose gently. A pair of tiny fingers reach up to wrap around one of her own as the little girl yawns, closing her eyes, and drifts to sleep. 

"How did you do that?" Oliver asks, moving towards the now silent baby, sleeping peacefully in Felicity's arms.

She shushes him, because, _really,_ she just got Sara to go to sleep, she does not need Oliver to be waking her right back up again. Spying a little cot in the far corner of the room, Felicity walks slowly towards it so as not to jostle the bundle she carries, before gently laying her down in it.

She waits for a moment to make sure he's not going to wake up and start whaling again before she straightens and turns back towards Oliver, who's staring at her with such amazement you'd think she just took down an army all by herself.

Felicity motions towards the hallway, still wary of waking the sleeping baby, and the two leave the room together. She notices on the way out just how messed up the room is; pillows have been tossed on the floor, there's a diaper bag thrown over the arm of one chair and a bottle tucked between the cushions of another.

Felicity chuckles, rolling her eyes a little, because of course Oliver would treat looking after a baby like it was some earth shattering crisis. 

"So, which idiot decided to leave you alone with Sara? Surely John didn't agree to this." She asked as the pair stepped into the hallway, crossing her arms over her chest.

"He was reluctant, but Lyla really wanted a night out and he eventually decided that it would be okay as long as Raisa was here, but then she got caught in a family emergency and couldn't stay."

"So you called me?" 

"Who else was I supposed to call? I have no idea what I'm doing here, Felicity!" Oliver growls, clearly uncomfortable with the situation he's been placed in. 

"Why did you offer in the first place, then?" Felicity huffs, but before he can reply they hear a soft sob emit from the living room that soon becomes a full blown cry.

Without having to be asked, Felicity makes her way towards the crib and lifts up the 

distressed child - the distressed and _very smelly_ child. She hears Oliver quietly thank her, but she's much too preoccupied with little Sara to respond. 

Tucking the baby into one arm, Felicity uses the other to scoop the diaper bag up off the couch as she's making her way to the bathroom. A thought strikes her on her way out, though, and she pauses.

"If I'm going to change this baby's diaper, then you are going to come and learn because I will not be here the next time this happens." They both know she will.

Felicity changes diapers and makes bottles and does all the other stuff that needs to be done in order to keep the little one calm, all whilst showing Oliver what to and not to do with the baby.

It's almost midnight; Oliver is sitting on the couch, completely exhausted - despite the fact that Felicity has done most of the work - watching as she rocks Sara back and forth, humming an unrecognisable song, before putting her down in the crib for what they both hoped would be the final time that night.

He smiles as he looks on, wondering if she had any younger siblings that she'd taken care of or if she was just a natural when it came to children. When Felicity is finally happy that Sara is down and staying that way, she shuffles towards the couch Oliver is sitting on and flops down beside him, leaving about a foot of space between them.

"Thank you, Felicity." Oliver says, finally, smiling softly at her as she sinks slowly into the cushions.

"Mhm," she mumbles in reply, "never again."

"Yeah, okay." He chuckles, but it falls on deaf ears as Felicity has already fallen asleep, falling in his direction with her head on his shoulder.

Digg and Lyla show up an hour later to collect Sara and find the two wrapped around each other on the couch, both fast asleep. John throws a blanket over his closest friends, gently shaking Oliver's shoulder so he can tell him that they're taking Sara now.

The still half asleep man just mumbles in response, nodding a little bit, and pulls the blonde at his side closer.

Diggle takes a picture on his phone for future blackmailing purposes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is 6:30am here and I haven't slept all night, so I'm sorry if this is a little off. This was going to be a little longer, but I didn't want to drag it out further than was necessary. I hope you enjoyed this one, let me know what you think.


	5. Of Misplaced Blame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Episode 2x10: Blast Radius - Oliver yells. Felicity takes it to heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your response to these one shots, I'm really glad that people seem to be enjoying them :) I've changed the TV wording somewhat for the argument here, but the gist of it is the same. The first part of this shot will very much be what happened in the episode itself, but it will go on to change from that.

"What happened?" Oliver asked, marching into the foundry with his fist clenched tight around his bow. 

"He's using cellular technology to detonate the bombs; clearly his expertise extends to scrambling that signal." Felicity replied, locking her hands together in front with her elbows resting on the desk.

"Felicity, your expertise was supposed to trump his." The vigilante countered, an accusatory note in his voice.

"Excuse me?" She responded quietly, turning slowly in her chair to face him, not quite believing that he'd just said that to her. "If you have something to say to me, Oliver, say it." 

"People are dying, Felicity, and now more people are going to die because you messed up." He growled, "So, I would like you to pull your head out of Central City and get back in the game." 

"Sure, right after you get your head out of your ass." She retorted, coming to stand in front of the infuriating man.

"Excuse me?" Oliver asked, moving ever closer to her.

Diggle - as much as he enjoyed watching Felicity back chat the boss - decided that this was his time to step in and stop them before somebody crossed a line.

"Aright," he started, "maybe we should just take a breath here." 

"No, I wanna hear what he has to say," Felicity responded, though she didn't remove her gaze from Oliver's, "What was that crack about Central City supposed to imply? And, what else was it, 'more people are going to die because I messed up'?"

"When the first bomb went off, you weren't here. When the second bomb went off, you sent me the wrong way." Oliver hissed, voice low and anger filled.

"Yeah, after you didn't catch him in the first place!" She retorted, choking a little over her words as what he was saying to her really began to sink in.

"Don't blame me because you didn't have it tonight." He said, finally, instantly seeing the sting of his words as the hurt spread across Felicity's face.

"Are you saying it's my fault?" She questioned, quietly, withdrawing a little from him.

"Okay, guys, really. Time to stop." Digg tried to jump in, but again he was ignored.

"Are - you - saying. It's - my - fault." Felicity demanded, finally breaking out her loud voice.

"Yes, Felicity, I'm saying it's your fault!" Oliver roared, slamming his bow down on the nearest surface, "It is your fault for not being here, it is your fault for losing his signal, it is your fault that people are dying."

Felicity's gasp was the only sound heard in the foundry after that. Everything just seemed to stop for a moment, Oliver's words still hanging in the air.  
It is your fault that people are dying.  
your fault people are dying.

She felt like she was suffocating, tears welling up in the back of her eyes as she takes a step back, as if he'd physically struck her.

"I need some air." The blonde woman said finally. The sound of her black boots against the hard floor echoed as she walked away, not daring to cry until the door slammed shut behind her.

She didn't come back that night.

.

"What was that, Oliver?" Digg demanded, his voice low and dangerous. Felicity was like a little sister to him and nobody hurt John Diggle's little sister.

"It needed to be said, Digg," The other man responded, "She was distracted and she messed the whole thing up. She nearly ran me into a damn bus, for pete's sake!"

"No, that didn't need to be said. Not a damn word of it. I was with her the whole time and the screen said that's where the guy was, how was she supposed to know it was wrong?" Diggle retorted, clenching his hands into tight fists.

"It was her job to know!" Oliver snapped, turning his full attention on his friend.

"And it is your job to protect the people of this city and that means putting your faith in us, Oliver. She did everything that she could to help you catch that guy and you thank her by coming in here and blaming her for the whole damn thing." 

"Digg, I-" Oliver started.

"No, I'm not done. Felicity is the sweetest, most kind hearted person we know, and you just blamed her for the death of those people; how do you think she's going to take that? One of the things that she had that we don't is the knowledge that she's never been the cause of someone's death, and you just took that away from her!" John was fuming as he moved towards the vigilante, arms falling to his sides from where they had been crossed over his chest, his hands still balled into fists. "You may as well have just told her that she detonated those bombs; the idea that she killed them is already implanted in her head, anyway." 

Oliver stood frozen in the middle of the room as he watched another of his friends turn and walk away from him, leaving him completely alone in the foundry. 

.

"Hello?" She sniffled into the phone, sinking deeper into her couch.

Felicity had gone straight home from the foundry and proceeded to break down into a tub of mint choc chip. She couldn't get over what he'd said to her, a part of her even went so far as to believe what he said.

You didn't have it tonight.

It is your fault that people are dying.

People are dying because you messed up.

Your fault. Your fault. _YOUR FAULT._

And maybe it was her fault. Maybe if she had been there to help instead of in Central City with a sleeping - oh, who was she kidding, a comatose Barry Allen, maybe she could have help stop any of this from happening. Maybe if she was more focused. Maybe if she'd tried harder.

"Felicity, are you okay?" John's voice came through the receiver, his concern for her evident in his quiet voice.

"Yeah, of course," She responded, but even as she said it a little sob escaped her lips.

A sigh travelled through the phone, followed by a brief moment of silence before Digg began talking again.

"You know he didn't mean any of it, right? He's just on edge with everything going on." 

It took Felicity a moment too long to respond, confirming to Digg that she didn't know that, not for sure anyway.

"You want me to come by?" He asked, finally, not sure what else he could say to her that would make it any better.

"No, I'll be okay," She replied, "but, thank you for offering."

"You sure, it's really no trouble." 

"I'm sure, good night, Digg." Felicity said, feeling a slight smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"Night, Felicity."

She tossed the phone onto the coffee table in front of her and went to take the final bite of her ice cream, grabbing the TV remote as she did to un-mute her Doctor Who marathon.

.

"How long are you going to stay with me?"

Before Rose could respond, there was a knocking at Felicity's front door. She paused the TV and waited, hoping whoever it was would assume she wasn't home and leave. That, of course, was not the case and the insistent knocking started up again.

Sighing heavily, Felicity stood from the couch, pulling her fuzzy blanket tight around her shoulder, and shuffled slowly to her front door. When she pulled it open and saw Oliver Queen standing there she immediately tried to close the door again, but he stuck his foot out and stopped it.

He pushed lightly against the door in the hopes that she would open it fully for him, but no such thing happened. Sighing, he removed his hands from the door and stuffed them on his pockets, though he kept his foot wedged in the door.

"Felicity, can we talk?" Oliver asked, quietly. He'd been regretting what he'd said to her from the moment she walked away and was still trying to get over the fact that he had hurt her; not physically - he would put an arrow in himself if he ever so much as stepped on her toe, and that's only if Digg or Roy didn't do it for him - but he had hurt her all the same.

"I think you've said all you need to say for one night, Oliver." Felicity replied, hovering behind the door so only one half of her was in view.

"I'm sorry," he breathed out, and it hurt him to do so because he didn't ever want to do anything so bad to Felicity Smoak, he didn't want to ever have to apologise to her, "I didn't mean a word of it, I'm sorry." 

She looked up at him with red, puffy eyes and nodded once before pulling the door open and indicating for him to come in. As soon as she did, though, she was surprised to find herself crushed against Oliver's chest, two strong arms wrapped tightly around her and his nose buried in her hair.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, "I'm so, so sorry. It wasn't your fault, none of it was, it's just that I..." 

"You what, Oliver?" Felicity asked softly as she pulled back from him a little so she could look him in the eyes, one of her hands moving from the back of his neck to his cheek.

He sighed and leaned into her touch, closing his eyes momentarily, before replying, "I missed you." 

"Missed me?" She questioned.

"Yes, I missed you. All the time you were in Central City the only thing I could think about was how I wished you were here. It made me realise how much I need you; my best friend, my partner."

"Oh, Oliver," Felicity whispered, moving forward again to pull him back into a tight hug, "I missed you, too."

They eventually moved to the couch, sitting side by side, sharing Felicity's fuzzy blanket.

Oliver pulled her into his side as they got comfortable, leaning close to her to whisper, "You're not going to leave, are you? The team, I mean. Please stay with us."

"I will, I promise." She hits the play button for the TV.

"Forever."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone who didn't catch that, there's a moment between Ten and Rose in Doctor Who where he says, "How long are you going to stay with me?" and she replies, "Forever."  
> Thank you very much for reading this, I hope you enjoyed it, please leave a review to let me know what you think!  
> I do not own Arrow, any of it's characters or any of the text used in it, nor do I own Doctor Who.


	6. Of Furniture Rearrangements

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Felicity end up sharing a bed. Oliver finds new ways to be overly protective.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy!

"What are you _doing_?" Felicity asks, as she walks into her bedroom, running a hand over her tired face.

"Moving your bed." Oliver replies, as if it's the most normal thing in the world.

"Yes, I see that," Felicity sighs, "I was looking for a reason."

It had been a stressful week for team Arrow, this night in-particular; they'd finally caught a fresh lead on the latest killer they were chasing and things had been looking up, but when Oliver reached the old warehouse that Felicity had tracked the man to, all he found was another body.

At first, Oliver had been angry, but his anger was soon forgotten as exhaustion set in. They'd left the foundry late, later than usual, and he had taken it upon himself to make sure Felicity got home safe. Oliver hated the idea of Felicity going through the glades in the middle of the night, completely alone, especially when there was a psychopath out there somewhere, killing women.

When Oliver had walked Felicity to her door, he had suddenly realised just how tired he was. She had, of course, noticed this and insisted that he stay the night. Oliver had offered to sleep on the couch, but Felicity made it clear that that wasn't happening; not when it was so small and definitely not after the night he'd just had. She would have offered him the guest bed, but she was far too tired, herself, to make it up. So, Felicity told him to take hers and she would spend the night on the couch.

But, Oliver didn't want Felicity to have to sleep down there while he took her bed from her, so after a few minutes of awkward babbling and negotiating, it had been decided that they were both mature enough to share Felicity's bed.

That is how they ended up where they were now; with Felicity standing in her bedroom doorway and Oliver pushing her wooden bed towards one of the walls.

"Because I need to." Oliver says, pulling at one of the corner posts so he can turn the bed so one side of it is pressed up against the wall.

"Is this one of those weird feng shui things? Because I really didn't have you pegged as the kinda person to be bothered by all that stuff."

"What? No, of course not, don't be ridiculous." As he says this, Oliver is moving towards the window, checking that the locks on it are secure.

" _I'm_ being ridiculous? You're the one rearranging my bedroom for no reason." Felicity replies, both curious and exasperated as to what exactly the man before her is doing.

"It's not for no reason," He grumbles, finally turning back to face her, and it's then that Felicity sees a nervous, almost scared, look in her friend's eyes.

"Oliver," her tone is soft, now, as she approaches him slowly "what is going on? Why did you have to move my bed?" 

"I'm trying to keep you safe." Oliver states, sincerely, his strong gaze piercing right into her soul.

"By moving my bed?" She asks.

"I need to be between you and the danger, Felicity, I always need to be." He's confusing her now; she doesn't understand how rearranging her furniture is going to make her any safer.

"Oliver, there's no danger here, we're in my house, everything's fine." She tries to soothe him, but he just shakes his head and clenches his fists.

"There is a man out there killing women, Felicity. _Killing them_. And some of them were taken from their homes, from places they thought they were safe. I can't let the same thing happen to you." Oliver is loud and close, trying to make her realise how important to him it is that she is safe. "And that means, being between you and anything that can hurt you." 

Felicity still doesn't understand what any of this has to do with her bed, but it does answer a lot of other questions she's had floating around in her head. Oliver was acting strange because he's worried about her, he thinks she's going to get hurt, he's putting himself in a position to shield her from harms way _again._

She's about to say something when Oliver carries on, and Felicity finds herself surprised at just how much the usually quite man has to say tonight. 

"I had to move your bed because I couldn't protect you from all possible threats from where it was." He begins, "There was a door on one side and a window on the other, I couldn't protect you from both entry points that way. With the bed how it is now, you're between the wall and I; nothing can get to you without having to go through me first."

Felicity can feel both her cheeks and her heart warming as she listens to him talk, though she also feels the slightest bit of fear creeping in. Fear that this man, this man that she knows she loves, is so ready and willing to put himself in danger if it means keeping her safe. Felicity doesn't think she could handle it if he got seriously hurt on her behalf.

It's not until she feels cold hands on her cheeks that Felicity realises there are tears rolling down her face, silent sobs racking her body as she stands there, clad in the least dorky pyjamas she could find.

"Please don't cry, Felicity. I didn't mean to make you cry, I'm sorry, I'll put it back." Oliver says, quietly, his thumbs gently wiping away her tears.

"No, no it's not that, it's just," she lets out a choked little laugh, "I've never had any who cared about me enough to worry so much." Felicity finishes, quietly.

"Come on, let's get some sleep, okay?" Oliver says, hands slipping from her face, one of them reaching down for hers. 

He shuts off the light and guides Felicity to the bed, letting her slip in first so she lies facing the wall. When Oliver climbs in behind her, he surprises even himself with his natural instinct to wrap her up in his arms, though it's not the first time he's felt the urge. He decides that if ever there were a time to give in, this would be it.

Felicity's body still shakes slightly as her sobs fade away, but she settles fully when she feels herself being pulled against a hard chest, and Oliver's nose nuzzles her neck.

"Thank you." She whispers, burrowing further into his embrace.

"For what?" Oliver asks, his voice somewhat muffled.

"For protecting me," Felicity responds, "even if your methods are sometimes a little unorthodox." 

She feels his body shake as a deep, rumbling laugh escapes Oliver's lips, his breath warm against her skin.

"Thank you for letting me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the first thoughts for this were about Oliver moving the bed around in attempt to protect Felicity, and the rest just sort of fit around it so it all made sense. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please let me know what you think; good or bad.  
> Thank you for reading.


	7. Of Fallen Soldiers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity is acting strange. The team try to find out why

When Felicity walks into the foundry wearing a pair of black jeans and a grey sweater, the team think nothing of it. Sure, they all notice that her usual bright colours are gone, but whether it really means something barely crosses their minds. Their main focus is on the task at hand; taking down a group of illegal arms dealers.

It's when Felicity sits down with only a slight grunt in greeting to her team-mates that the team start to think that maybe there's a problem, but, still, the mission takes priority.

Diggle keeps an eye on Felicity right up until the moment Sara, Oliver, Roy and he are about to leave to track down the gang, and not once does she look up at Oliver as he does push ups or climbs the salmon ladder. Not. Once. Diggle doesn't think there's every been a night in the foundry when Felicity hasn't so much as glanced at the man as he works out.

His brother-like instincts tell him to stay and make sure she is okay, to say something to her to comfort her about whatever it is that's going on, but they finally had a lead on this case and now was the best time to follow up on it. So, he sticks a comm in his ear and follows behind his team mates as they leave the building.

x

"Which way, Felicity?" Sara asks, tightening her grip on her bo staff.

"Left." Comes the IT girls response, quiet and to the point. Sara is surprised when she doesn't say anything more, having become accustomed to her cute babbles and chirpy tone; she found that she enjoyed it after all of the difficulties she'd faced over the past few years.

"Everything okay, Lis?" She inquires, making her way down the dimly lit hallway to the left.

"Everything's fine." Felicity replies, her tone a little more like it usually is, but Sara can tell it's forced. "Second door on your right; careful, I'm getting multiple heat signatures coming from that room." 

Sara fully intended to follow up with her concerns, but then the gunfire starts and she has to put all of her attention into the job at hand and she forgets about her worries for her friend for a while.

She gets nothing more from Felicity than one word answers for the rest of the mission.

x

Roy realises something is wrong when he returns to the foundry with an obscene amount of Big Belly Burger and Felicity says she doesn't want any.

"You already eat?" He asks, as he passes out the rest of the food.

"I'm just not hungry." She responds, wrapping both arms around her middle.

Roy stops for a moment and just looks at her, trying to figure out what it was that was bothering his friend. Sure, the girl was small, but she could eat, and she never turned down free food.

"Have you eaten at all today?" His tone is concerned and he lays a hand on her shoulder.

Her silence is the only response he needs and he finds his worry growing.

"Felicity, what's going on?" She shakes her head a little and looks down, clasping her hands in her lap.

Roy knows he's not going to get anything more from her right now, so he gives her shoulder a gentle squeeze before he continues to pass out the food.

x

Tommy is the first to realise what is wrong when he bounds down the stairs from the club and then promptly stops at the bottom of them when he senses the tension in the room.

"Woah, who died?" He asks, a charming smile on his face. 

No one else seems to notice, but he sees Felicity tense up at his words and he knows he's struck a nerve. He takes in the dark colours she wears and the messy ponytail atop her head, that is usually so neatly done. 

"You know what, never mind. I smelt food and I followed the scent." Tommy says, taking the moment to move towards Felicity's desk where some of the food still sits. "You okay?" He whispers, sitting on the table.

Felicity looks up at him and gives the slightest of nods, but makes no attempt to hide the broken look on her face.

"'Licity, what I said when I came down here..." Tommy trails off, placing one hand on her knee. Felicity just nods again, looking down at the floor, and he hears her let out a little sniffle. "You wanna talk about it?" 

"N-no, not right now." She replies, quietly, lifting her gaze back up to his face, revealing to him teary eyes and a red nose.

"All right, let me know if you need anything, okay?" He squeezes her knee before turning to address the rest of the room, knowing there's nothing he can do for his friend right now.

Felicity collects her things and leaves ten minutes later. Her food remains untouched.

x

When Felicity is sitting at home on the couch, she expects herself to break down. And, yet, here she is, staring at a TV that isn't even on, and she still hasn't cried.

She should be crying. She doesn't understand why she's not crying. She feels like she curled up in a ball somewhere, sobbing her heart out, but she hasn't shed a single tear.

The sound of wood sliding against wood echoes through the otherwise silent apartment and Felicity is suddenly very alert, looking around her to try and find the source of the noise. A moment later, when she hears a quiet thud, she realises that it's the sound of a window opening and closing.

Felicity bolts up, grabbing around for something to defend herself until her hand lands on the baseball bat she keeps nearby for situations like this.

"Felicty." A loud voice calls, startling her. She spins around, swinging the bat in the general direction of the intruder, who narrowly avoids the hit by ducking down. "Fe-li-ci-ty." 

"Oliver?" She asks, blinking at the figure in the shadows, "Oliver, what the heck are you doing!?"

"What's wrong, Felicty?" He deflects, stepping closer to her, now in the light where Felicity can see him clearly.

"Well, you almost just gave me a heart attack, so..." She responds, waving one arm at him.

"What's wrong, Felicity?" 

"Oliver, leave it alone." She tells him, turning around so she can return to the couch, dropping the bat on the floor beside her, "Also, would it kill you to use the door like a normal person?" 

"Don't change the subject. You've been acting weird all day; the dark clothes, the quietness, not eating, tensing up and now I come here and find you sitting in the dark in silence." Oliver explains, moving to sit beside her on the couch, "What's going on?" 

"Nothing," She states, though they both know it's a lie, "just one of those days."

"Don't lie to me, Felcity, I know there's something upsetting you." Oliver says, shuffling a little closer to her. "And I brought mint choc chip." He adds, shaking the carton a little in front of her. His concern grows when she doesn't show even the slightest reaction to her favourite ice cream.

"I'm fine." Felicity tells him, feeling immensely proud of herself when her voice doesn't crack.

"Feli-" Oliver tries again, but Felicity cuts him off.

"Oliver, I'm fine." She shouts, throwing her arms out a little in emphasis. "Everything is fine, I'm great, nothing is wrong, so just stop asking, okay?" 

Without saying another word, Oliver pulls Felicity into a tight embrace, holding her head against his chest whilst his other arm wraps tightly around her body. She struggles for a moment, still determined to keep up as strong a front as she can, but eventually she relaxes against him, clutching his shirt with one hand.

They sit in silence for a while, Oliver's hand running through the blonde hair she'd long since taken out of her pony tail. Felicity's hand released his shirt a while ago, choosing instead to run down and loop around his waist. Oliver begins to believe that she may have fallen asleep when she begins to speak.

"I had a brother - well, half brother. Couple years younger than me but still about a foot taller." Felicity starts, quietly, along with a small sniffle. "He joined the army the second he got out of high school."

Oliver tilts his head down to face her a little more, trying to hear her better; Felicity doesn't talk much about her family, so he assumes that her doing so mean something big is going on.

"What was his name?" He asks a moment later, once he realises Felicity isn't going to say anymore without prompting.

"Luke," She replies, "Lucas Peter Watson." 

"Watson?" Oliver enquires, confused, "I thought he was your brother."

"Half-brother; from my mother's second marriage. He took his father's last name." Felicity explains, lifting her head so her chin rests on his chest and they're face to face.

Oliver can see the tears that are running freely down her face and finds himself surprised that he hadn't noticed her crying sooner, especially as he can now feel the small wet patch on his shirt as the patch of fabric sticks to his skin. He disentangles his hand from her blonde curls and slides it towards her cheek, using the pad of his thumb to wipe away her tears.

She looks surprised for a moment, having not realised that she had been crying, before relaxing again, leaning into Oliver's touch.

"He went back to Afghanistan a couple months ago and he was fine - well, as fine as yo can be when you're in the middle of a war zone. I only heard from him a   
couple of days ago." Felicity's voice begins to shake as she carries on, "Then, yesterday, I find a soldier at my door - a good friend of Luke's, actually - and he tells me that-" She cuts herself off with a choked sob.

"Hey, hey, it's okay, we don't have to talk about this." Oliver soothes, pulling her closer and planting a kiss upon the crown of her head. Felicity shakes her head a little before continuing.

"He, Tony, told me that he, uh, that Luke was killed in action. jumped on a grenade and saved two platoons of American soldiers." She lets out a bitter laugh, "Kid always wanted to be a hero and now that he finally is he's not around to enjoy it. Or, really milk it like I know he would."

"I'm so sorry, Felicity," Oliver says into her hair as he presses his face down into it, "why didn't you tell any of us?"

"Everyone's busy, Oliver. In the grand scheme of what we do, it's not something any of you need to worry about. You have far more important things on your plate than dealing with my family dramas."

"I told you once that, if you needed to, you could talk to me; that offer still stands."

"Thank you," Felicity says, flashing the smallest but most sincere smile she can muster, "now, give me that ice cream before it melts completely."

Oliver chuckles as he hands over the tub.

x

Two days later, Felicity stands in a church filled with friends of her brothers and soldiers in full dress uniform. Her mother had decided not to make the trip to  
Starling for the funeral, a fact that both angers and relieves Felicity

Just before the service begins, the door opens and in walks the rest of team arrow, all dressed in black. Roy has even traded in his red hoodie for a suit, but by the way it hangs off him more than it should, Felicity assumes he's reluctantly borrowed it from Oliver.

They sit with her in the aisles and stand with her beside the fresh grave, their presence a constant comfort to her. At some point, Oliver even reaches down to take her hand.

He doesn't let go for the rest of the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know what it is, but I love the idea of Felicity having a brother, especially one with some kind of army background.   
> This was quite a bit longer than most of my one shots are, so I hope I didn't drag it out too far. Please let me know what you think and tell me if you spot any mistakes.  
> I hope you enjoyed it!


	8. Of Disrespect in the Workplace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver finds out about the rumours.

"That's her," Felicity hears someone giggle as she stands in line at her favourite coffee shop.

"Who?" Another asks. Both voices are female and Felicity realises it's two of the women standing a few places behind her in the queue.

"She's Oliver Queen's secretary," the first voice replies, "the one who slept her way into the job."

She tenses then, because they're talking about _her_. Though, it shouldn't pressurised her; Felicity has been hearing this a lot over the past few months, a few people having even made snide comments right to her face.

"You pay them no mind, dear," Joyce, the lovely, elderly women who runs the little shop smiles warmly at her. Felicity had spoken to her on multiple occasions and found a mutual respect and friendship formed between the pair.

"Oh, I don't." She replies, taking the to go cup and paper bag from her. The two share another smile before Felicity turns to leave, thanking Joyce as she does.  
She stops, though, next to the two women she'd heard gossiping about her, looking them up and down once each.

"I'm his Executive Assistant, not his secretary."

The women gape at her. Felicity grins and walks away.

x

When she walks into QC a half hour later, it's much the same. People stare and snicker as Felicity passes security and makes her way towards the elevators. She knows they talking about her, mocking her, but she shrugs it off, rolls her eyes and wonders if the people in this place are _ever_ going to find a new toy to play with.

A sigh escapes her, though, when the elevator doors open a few floors below her desired location and in steps Isabel Rochev. Brown hair is swept over one shoulder, perfectly smoothed down so not one wisp is out of place. Her black dress is form fitting, coming to a stop just above her knee, and is paired with killer heels in the same colour. 

The look she gives Felicity is filled with as much disgust and lack of respect as a person could manage to convey with one stare. Her calculated gaze sweeps up and down the blonde with disdain. Felicity knows what's coming.

"If you tried the adult section, you might just find something to wear that wasn't designed for someone the height of an eight year old." Isabel sneers.

Felicity keeps her eyes locked on the doors, trying her hardest to ignore the older woman for the short remainder of their time in the lift, but she does find herself subconsciously running her hands over the skirt of her dress, pulling at the hem.

A smirk lights Isabel's face and Felicity knows she's realised the discomfort she's caused.

When a ding sounds and the metal doors slide open, Felicity can't get out fast enough.

x

Diggle knows. Felicity knows he knows. It's all there in the sympathetic looks and the coffee he brings her on the worst days. She can see it now as she fidgets in her desk chair and he stands vigil beside the glass doors of Oliver's office.

In said office, Oliver and Isabel are discussing... whatever it is they discuss during these weekly meetings. Just the woman's presence makes Felicity feel scrutinised, looked down on, and it makes her feel sick.

John walks towards her, pulls round a chair and sits beside the desk. His strategic placement means that he blocks Isabel's view of Felicity and vice versa. She gives him a warm, grateful smile and he nods in return.

"You're too good for this, Felicity." he tells her.

She knows that, too.

x

There are few things Felicity Smoak hates more than company gala's.

A room full of snobby, pretentious people who believe everyone without money is below them has, for some reason, never appealed to her. The party staff are always mistreated by the guests and the clothes the people wear are overpriced and uncomfortable.

At this particular event, Felicity feels like a mouse in a nest of vultures. Not a moment goes by where she is not being watched, circled, criticised. Because she is the IT girl who jumped into bed with the CEO and came out with a promotion - though, Felicity see's it as a demotion, because she did not go to MIT so she could fetch _coffee_ for Oliver freaking Queen.

It is expected of her, though, to attend these things, so she puts on a pretty dress and powers through, making small talk and forcing smiles.

"Excuse me, gentlemen, I need to borrow Miss Smoak." A British voice breaks through the conversation Felicity had been dragged into with three very judgemental men.

When she turns towards the voice, she finds Walter standing beside her, smiling softly. He doesn't give the men a chance to respond before he's guiding her across the room.

"Mr. Steel, you are a God send." Felicity gushes as they come to a stop near a table in the corner.

"Dear, please, it's Walter." He corrects, "And, as for my being a God send, you looked rather in distress over there and who am I to leave a friend in need of saving."

Felicity beams up at him, feeling so much gratitude towards the man standing before her. Her happiness falters, though, when she catches the scoffing and snickering of a group of women standing nearby and realises they're aimed at her.

"Besides, the people here have no idea what they're talking about most of the time." Walter adds, and from that and the look he's giving her, Felicity knows he's noticed it, too.

There are few things Felicity Smoak hates more than company gala's. One of them being the people who attend them.

x

It all goes to Hell at Verdant.

"Felicity!" Thea squeals, running towards the blonde. The young Queen pulls Felicity into a tight embrace, continuing to coo happily in her friends ear.

"Hey, Thea." Felicity laughs, wrapping her arms around the brunette.

"I'm so glad you came!" She says, grabbing a hold of Felicity's arm and pulling her through the crowd of dancers towards the bar.

"I see she finally found you, Smoak." Tommy grins from his place behind the counter.

"That she did, Merlyn." Felicity beams back, slipping onto a stool as Thea does the same beside her.

"Less talking, more drinking." Thea pipes up, leaning her elbows against the bar top.

"Mhm, so, a lemonade then, Queen?" Tommy asks, raising an eyebrow at the young girl.

"You used to be so much fun, Thomas. So. Much. Fun." She huffs, though there's an obvious teasing tone in her voice.

He chuckles in response before sliding a glass towards her and then turns to face Felicity.

"Same for me, _Thomas_." She tells him, smirking. He rolls his eyes and pours another glass of lemonade for the blonde.

Somebody nearby giggles and Felicity glances over, seeing two women standing nearby with a tall man. The women look familiar, though she can't seem to place where she knows them from.

"She didn't even deny it." One of them says and - oh. The coffee shop.

"Oh, great." Felicity mumbles, turning her attention back to the drink in front of her.

"Something wrong?" Thea asks, taking a sip from her own glass.

"No," She smiles, "no, everything's fine." 

"What the Hell kind of person gets their job on their knees." Felicity hears, and when she glances back to the women she finds that they're staring straight at her.   
The grip she has on her glass tightens and her body tenses.

"Are they talking about you?" Thea asks, glaring at the women.

"Tommy, I think I'm gonna need something a little stronger." She responds, choosing to ignore the question in the hopes of not completely destroying their night out.

Unfortunately, the women don't stop. They continue to giggle and mock Felicity as if she isn't standing right there within earshot. Thea, though, respects that   
Felicity just wants to ignore them and doesn't say anything on the subject.

Until a line is crossed.

Thea and Felicity are sharing old stories and laughing away together, with the occasional chip in from Tommy when he has a free moment from serving the happy patrons.

One of the women chooses that moment to say, very loudly, "What a _slut_." 

And Thea flips.

"Hey!" She yells, turning on the women, "You have no idea what you're saying!"

Felicity thinks she hears one of them remarking on the fact that that's Oliver's sister.

"We know exactly what we're saying" The red head scoffs, and her friend nods in agreement.

"In that case you might want to put a sock in it." The young Queen growls, standing from her chair so she can turn her whole body towards them.

"Woah, woah, hey," the man they were with chips in, moving to stand between the two pairs of women, "I don't see how any of this is your business." 

"Well, when you're dogs are talking smack about my brother and my best friend, it becomes my business." 

"Really, because from what I've heard, they were only speaking the truth." The guy responds, his arms crossed over his face and a smirk on his lips.

"Alright, buddy, you wanna take that back?" Tommy asks, appearing from out of nowhere with a towel over his shoulder.

"I don't think I do, _buddy_." Comes the reply, and Tommy tightens his hands at hiis sides until they're balled into fists.

"Everythink okay over here, boss?" Roy is suddenly beside Tommy, taking up the same stance as him.

"Okay, guys, this really isn't worth it." Felicity tells the group, wary of where this whole thing is going.

"No, Felicity, they insulted you," Tommy retorts, "we're not just going to let that slide." 

"They insulted Lis?" Roy growls, and his body moves into a position Felicity recognises from the foundry's training mats.

"Wow, are there any men around here that you _aren't_ sleeping with?" 

The final straw. A fist is thrown and in an instant there's blood running from the guy's nose and red on Tommy's knuckles. Gasps erupt from the onlookers as a crowd gathers around the group and the music stops.

Just as it begins to look like a full blown fight is going to break out, Oliver is there, Diggle not far behind and total silence falls.

"What the Hell is going on here?" His voice is low and rumbling, but still seems to echo through the club.

"Nothing I can't handle." Tommy answers, keeping his eyes locked on the man before him.

"Oh, yes, I see that you're handling this very well." Only then does he seem to notice Thea and Felicity standing behind his best friend and Roy.

"Ollie, it's not their fault." His sister says, "They were standing up for us - well, more for Felicity." 

"Okay, everybody out." He says quietly, "EVERYBODY OUT!" He repeats, raising his voice. The group watch as the people scramble.

Felicity, Thea, Tommy and Roy try to sneak away with the crowd, but Diggle stops them. "You four, upstairs. Now."

The little group hang their heads and walk slowly towards the main office, looking like an embarrassed group of teenagers being reprimanded by their father.

x

"So, does someone want to tell me what just happened down there?" Oliver stares down at the four who sit tightly pressed together on the little, white couch in the office.

"Well, Felicity and I were having our night out." Thea supplies, finally lifting her gaze to meet her brother's.

"And Roy and I were working. Just an average night." Tommy adds.

"You know exactly what it is I'm talking about, so get to it." Oliver orders, glaring at his best friend.

"Okay, fine," Roy says after a long moment of silence, standing up from his position next to Thea, "Tommy hit that guy in the face because his friends and he were insulting Felicity." 

"And that was our entire involvement in this whole thing, so, if you'll excuse us, we have work to do." Tommy states, quickly, followed by he and Roy bolting from the room before Oliver can say anything more. 

A synchronised call of "cowards!" echoes after them as Thea and Felicity huff in their seats.

"Is this about what people have been saying around the office?" Diggle asks, arms folded over his chest as he stands vigil beside the door.

Felicity nods once, keeping her eyes downcast so as to avoid the pitiful gaze she knows the older man is sending her way.

Thea blurts an enraged, "People have said that stuff before?" at the same time as Oliver asks "What have people been saying at the office?"

"Look," She sighs, finally lifting her gaze to look at her friends as she addresses them, "I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself." 

"Fe-li-ci-ty. What have people been saying?" Oliver repeats, obviously having had enough of people not giving him the answer he's looking for.

"Oliver, man, maybe you should just leave it." Digg jumps in, picking up on the uncomfortable look that crosses Felicity's face as she squirms under the CEO's gaze.

"Mr. Diggle, would you mind taking my sister home?" He replies, though he doesn't take his eyes away from Felicity and they both know the request is rhetorical.

"Come on, Miss Queen." He sighs, motioning towards the door.

"What? No, I'm not just going to leave Felicity here so you can yell-" Thea tries to start, but Oliver shoots her down.

"Thea, _go_." He growls, finally turning his fierce gaze away from the blonde and onto his sister.

"Whatever." She mumbles, before rising from her seat, "See you soon, Lissy." She adds, turning to her friend.

"Yeah, see you soon, Thee. And thanks." 

The youngest of the group nods once before turning and walking out of the room, John hot on her tail.

A click sounds as the door shuts and there's only two left in the room. They stare at each other but neither say anything, both waiting awkwardly in the silence   
that engulfs the room, expecting the other to make the first move.

Felicity can see Oliver getting impatient as he stand before her, with his arms folded over his chest and one foot tapping against the floor white carpet.

"So, you going to tell me what's going on?" He eventually huffs, moving so he's standing right in front of her and she has to crane her neck to meet his eyes. "And don't say no-" 

"Nothing." She interrupts.

"Don't say nothing." He tells her, "The truth. Now." 

"There's this stupid rumour floating around, it's not a big deal, really." Felicity responds, still trying to downplay the whole thing.

"What rumour?" She doesn't know when he got so close, but he's there, now, down on his knees in front of her.

"People are, uh, speculating about how I got my job." She mumbles, voice becoming higher in pitch and quieter as she speaks.

"What do you-" He starts, but cuts himself off when he's hit with sudden realisation, "Oh. Oh, no. Tell me they're not saying that we..."

"Yeah." Felicity confirms, rubbing a tired hand over her face.

But, then, Oliver's fingers are wrapping around hers and pulling them towards himself, placing gentle kisses against her knuckles. Two pairs of blue orbs lock as a momentary silence descends once again over the room.

"What did those people downstairs say?" He whispers, pressing his forehead against hers.

"They were just making comments. Thea snapped when one of the women called me a slut," A fire blazes in Oliver's eyes as anger surges through him, his rough hand tightening around her little one, "and Tommy punched the guy when he said... something else."

"What did he say?" His voice comes out somewhere between a hiss and a growl, and she pictures him, standing on a rooftop somewhere in full green leather, putting the fear of God into someone with the voice.

"It doesn't matter." Felicity reassures him, quickly, bringing her other hand up to hold their already intertwined ones, "It's okay, I'm used to it by now." 

She winces as she sees pain and guilt mix in with his anger. That was not the right thing to say.

"How long has this been going on?" He asks, quietly.

"Oliver, I-" 

"HOW LONG?" he bellows, releasing her hand and surging to his feet so he towers over the woman, making her flinch back in surprise.

"Si-since I started work as your assistant." Felicity stutters, wrapping her arms around her middle.

Oliver's eyes soften as he lowers himself slowly back onto the floor, this time opting to rest his forehead against her knees,"That was months ago." He sighs, looking up at her.

"I know." Felicity breathes, allowing a single tear to trail down her cheek. Oliver's hand is moving instantly to wipe it away, though his palm lingers against the side of her face, lightly caressing the soft skin.

One moment, she's sitting on the couch and the next Felicity is on the floor with Oliver, being cradled tightly against his chest.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so, so, sorry." He whispers into her hair.

x

"Oh my God!" Thea cries, startling Felicity. The other people in the diner turn to look at the pair but neither pay much attention to them.

"What?" Felicity asks, leaning forward to try and get a better view of her friend's phone.

"Isn't that the guy from last night?" 

Sure enough, a picture fills the screen of the man they'd encountered at the club last night, pinned to a wall by two green arrows in his sleeves, with a third arrow stuck between his legs, right below his groin.

The blonde laughs. A real, belly aching laugh. She laughs to the point where she's struggling to breathe and she think she might fall off her chair and then she laughs some more.

"Excuse me for a moment." She manages to wheeze out.

"Where are you going?" Thea asks, though her eyes only drift from her phone for a second.

"I need to call your brother."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? This was a lot longer than the rest of my one shots; is that okay, or would you guys prefer me to keep them shorter? I don't start out writing these with any real intent on how long they're going to be, I just aim for a minimum of 1000. I hope you enjoyed this instalment. Thanks for reading!  
> ALSO: I started writing an Arrow in Vegas fic, that was originally going to be posted here as a two parter, but I decided to publish it as it's own story. So, go check that out if you want to :)


	9. Of Colourful Realisations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time Felicity wears green.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chat with me on tumblr! laurially.tumblr.com

Oliver is bored. So, so, bored.

Here he is, in one of his infamous black tuxes, standing in the middle of another prestigious event that he is expected to attend. He's bounced around from person to person, board member to board member, forcing smiles and making small talk.

And he is so, so, unbelievably bored.

Usually it's not so bad, because usually Diggle and Felicity are by his sides, grounding him. Neither, though, are here; Digg being home with a pregnant Lyla and Felicity being God knows where. She was supposed to join Oliver at the function a half hour ago, but still he hasn't caught sight of her.

"Mr Queen, how lovely of you to show up." A Russian voice purrs, warm breath against his left ear.

"Ms Rochev, of course I'm here," Oliver forces a charming smile upon his face as he spins around to face the woman at his back, "this gala is being hosted by my company." 

"Well, you usually don't make much of an appearance at _our_ company's functions - or, at least not on time - so, you'll understand why I didn't expect to see you here." Isabel retorts, "Especially not without that little blonde of your's. Where is she, exactly?" 

"Felicity is, uh..." He trails off as he tries to think up an excuse to explain his executive assistant's absence. Every idea that enter's his mind, though, reminds him why Felicity found him so easy to see through when he'd first walked into her office and fed her a ridiculous story about a spilled latte and a bad neighbourhood.

"Oh, thank God," The woman exclaims, looking at something over Oliver's shoulder, effectively cutting off his thoughts, "at least she had the good sense to wear a dress that stops _below_ the knee, for once." 

"What are you- _oh_." He turns to see what it is Isabel is referring to when he catches sight of a blonde walking slowly around the edge of the room, wearing a floor length, strapless dress with an empire waistline. As her form moves closer, he notices what he thinks to be gold beading around the bust.

And it's _green_. The same shade of green that Oliver puts on every night as he patrols the streets of Starling City.

"Oliver, are you still in there?" Isabel's voice asks loudly, clicking her finger's beside the man's ear. Something in him snaps and suddenly he's moving, the sound of Rochev calling his name slowly fading away as he crosses the hall.

And suddenly he's standing a mere three feet behind his girl Wednesday, watching as she sways in time to the slow song the band are playing, blonde curls and soft green fabric moving with her.

"Hi." He says, quietly, startling the blonde. As she turns to face him, though, Oliver finds his own breath catching as he takes in the sight of her; if he'd thought she looked beautiful from across the room then up close she's perfection.

"Oh, Oliver, hi," Felicity smiles, warmly, taking a small step towards him. Oliver swears she was at least two inches shorter the last time he saw her.

"You're late." He tells her, then winces as his tone comes out harsher than he'd intended it to and he sees her shrink back a little.

"Yes, well, I had to help a friend out with something before I came." She replies vaguely, taking a sip of the champagne in her hand. It only serves to make Oliver pay zone in on the bright red colour that coats her lips.

"I am so glad you're finally here." Oliver sighs, taking a small step towards her, laying his hand on her bare arm. He has to fight really hard to keep the grin of his face as she shudders at the contact.

"Oliver, if you hate it so much, why haven't you left already? I've never seen you to stay 'til the end of one of these things before." Felicity pointed out, turning slightly to pick up a glass from the table behind her before passing it on to him.

He took the offered drink from her hand with a smile, lifting it to his lips to take a swig from it as he pondered what she'd said. Why hadn't he left sooner? He's made his rounds, talked to all the people he'd needed to talk to - except Felicity.

"I didn't leave because you weren't here, yet." Oliver admits, his gaze locking onto hers.

"Oh, I'm sorry, you didn't have to wait for me." She apologises, the corners of her mouth turning down the slightest bit as the guilt of being late washes over her.

"Felicity, I'll always wait for you," He tells her, a gentle tone filling his voice as he allows his hand to trail down her arm. His fingers briefly squeeze hers before he takes her glass from her, passing both it and his own onto the tray of a passing waiter, "So, shall we dance?" 

A shy smile appears on Felicity's lips as she nods, her soft hand slipping easily into his large, calloused one. They move slowly towards the middle of the packed floor where many of the other guests are dancing and finally turn to face each other when they're near the middle of the crowd.

There's little space between them when Oliver lays a hand on the small of her back, pulling her closer, while intertwining the other with one of hers. Felicity's free hand moves to his shoulder, but it only stays there for a few moments before it's slipping down onto his chest.

As Oliver holds the blonde close and they move together, he realises that _this_ is what he's been waiting for. This is why he suffered through hours of boring conversations and condescending looks. Why he took dance after dance with the countless women who threw themselves at him.

Pre-island Oliver would have loved all the female attention and instantly taken advantage of the situation. But, now, he has no interest in any of them; the only woman he wants to dance with these days is standing in his arms.

"You look so beautiful." He whispers, tilting his head down so his lips move close to her cheek.

A shiver runs down her spine and she rests her forehead against his shoulder, bringing herself even closer to him. In response, Oliver tightens his hold on her, allowing his fingers to splay across the length of her back.

"Thank you." Felicity replies, quietly, pressing her head further into Oliver's shoulder to hide the blush she knows is spreading across her cheeks.

"No, that's not what I meant," He says, stopping their movements suddenly.

Felicity lifts her chin to look at him for a moment, before she casts her eyes downwards again, moving back to try and get out of Oliver's arms. His hold on her tightens and he leans down to brush his nose along the line of her jaw until she finally tilts her head back to look up at him, tears pooling in her eyes.

"You _are_ beautiful. You're always beautiful." 

The way he says it, staring down at her with such a sincere look in his eyes, makes Felicity's heart stop for a moment as she stares back. 

"So beautiful." He whispers, finally, his breath ghosting over her lips as he moves closer.

In that moment, neither one cares about all the other people surrounding them or the judgemental eyes that stare at them from all corners of the grand hall. All that matters is what they both know is coming, the tingly feeling that runs through their veins and the butterflies fluttering around in their stomachs.

"Can I kiss you?" Oliver asks just as the distance between them is about to close.

"Yes." She breathes. And that's all he needs to hear.

He surges forward, slanting his mouth over hers as he kisses her. Her breath leaves her in a rush and Oliver takes the opportunity to deepen the kiss.

They're joined together for what feels like years but must be only seconds before they finally pull back.

"Felicity?" She hears him say quietly. Felicity opens her eyes to look up into his, then feels a pressure on her forehead as he leans his own against it.

"Mhm." She hums, not trusting herself to speak.

"You should wear green more often."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? I really hope you guys enjoyed reading this! Ideas are hard to think up, so, if you have any prompts you want filling, leave them in a comment or on tumblr and I'll write as many of them as I can :) Thanks for reading.


	10. Of Swaying and Sweeping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The five times Oliver watches Felicity dance with someone else and the one time he doesn't have to.

The first time Oliver sees Felicity dancing with someone else, there are multiple reasons why he shouldn't feel at all jealous. The first being that he has no claim over her; she is an independent woman who can do whatever she wants with whoever she wants.

The second being that her current dance partner is an eight year old boy.

John and Lyla were finally married, so of course Felicity and Oliver were in attendance at the wedding; the former acting as a bridesmaid and the latter as the best man. All of the couple's friends and family were there, too, including Thea, Moira and Walter, but the church pews were still not all filled.

Cheers had erupted from the onlookers as the now husband and wife had said their vows and shared their first kiss as a married couple. That is what brought Oliver to this moment, sitting in his spot at the head table of the reception, watching Felicity dance with AJ.

The little boy had ran straight to her the second he'd spotted her in the hotel's ballroom, resulting in Felicity scooping him up and spinning him around. They'd both erupted into giggles, but as Felicity went to put the kid down and move back to her seat, AJ had grabbed onto her hand and asked her to dance with him.

Three upbeat songs later, and Oliver has turned his chair slightly so he's facing the pair as they bop and spin around on the floor. Felicity had abandoned her heels and is stooping down to be on the little boy's level, holding both his hands in hers as they move together, beaming and laughing.

He likes seeing her like this; looking so beautiful in her flowing, purple bridesmaids dress with her head thrown back in constant, carefree laughter. It warms his heart a little to see how good she is with AJ and how much the child seems to be taken with her.

A slow song comes on and Felicity's heels are suddenly under AJ's little feet as she steps around in the small space so they can dance together.

"Cute, huh?" Lyla asks, slipping into her chair at the table, leaving one space between herself and Oliver that remains reserved for Diggle.

He turns to look at her, and sees she's watching the same scene unfolding as he had been. Oliver sighs before a smile lights up his face and he turns his attention back to the two dancers, only to find Felicity has finally been released and is making her way back towards their table.

"Yeah, pretty cute." He might feel a little jealous.

** >>-> **

The next time he sees her dancing, it's not in person, but rather through the security camera feed he has streaming from Verdant through to the foundry.  
If asked, he'll swear he's not spying, he's really not; Oliver is just looking out for her safety and that of his sister - Felicity's current dance partner.

Both girls had decided they were long overdue a girls night out together, which brought them to Oliver's night club for drinks - non-alcoholic, of course - and some much needed fun.

They'd taken to the dance floor almost immediately - Thea more so than Felicity, the little brunette dragging the blonde along behind her. Not that she had to pull very hard, as Felicity didn't put up much of a fight, but rather allowed her young friend to tow her along.

Now, they stand in the middle of a huge throng of people, bopping and swaying to the loud pop tune. Occasionally, men will approach them and ask for a dance, but the two girls wave them away every time, content to just enjoy each other's company.

A few of the guys, though, had been a little more persistent in their pursuit of the pair, so much so that Oliver had nearly went up to there to teach them a lesson, but a moment later they'd be dealt with, either by the girls or by Roy who seemed to appear out of nowhere.

As he watches them, he can't help but zone in on the light in Thea's eyes or the way her mouth is constantly moving, whether to speak or laugh along with Felicity. Oliver can't remember seeing her so at ease with someone outside of the family since he returned home.

Seeing the two most prominent girls in his life so close, though, begs the question as to how a friendship between them had formed. It would make sense if Oliver himself ad introduced them, but that had not been the case; instead, the first time he'd seen the pair in the same room they'd greeted each other with friendly hugs and a kiss on the cheek and fallen into an easy conversation like they'd known each other for years.

His attention turns back to the monitors and finds that one man has finally managed to get in and dance with his sister and IT girl; that man being Tommy Merlyn.

Oliver watches as his best friend throws his arms around the shoulders of both girls, allowing them to continue to move around to the beat of the song before he guides them back toward the bar. 

He finds himself feeling disappointed when he doesn't see them - Felicity in particular - return to the floor that night.

** >>-> **

There's something about the way she moves that fascinates him. The way that the awkward, babbling blonde can let herself go so completely and oh so gracefully when the music's playing.

There's something in the way her feet take step after step, but her heels never seem to deter her. Something in the way her hips and her arms move in time with each other to the beat of whatever it is she's listening to.

Through the bay window of her living room, he can clearly see her singing into a hairbrush as she moves, occassionally bumping or spinning with the other woman in her apartment who Oliver doesn't recall ever seeing before.

Maybe this time, he admits, his watching of her is a little weird. He is, after all, perched on a rooftop of the opposite building wearing full green leathers and watching her through the window. So, just a _little_ weird.

Oliver hadn't intended on staying so long; Felicity had left the foundry earlier than usual tonight, so he'd decided to check in on her during his nightly patrol, only to find her jumping around her living room in her pyjamas. 

He'd considered taking a picture - either to use as blackmail or just because he thought she looked adorable - but then decided against it when he thought about having to explain how he'd acquired the image.

From this distance, he can't be sure, but Oliver thinks she's removed her make-up since she left Verdant, and her hair is tied atop her head in a messy bun with the odd blonde curl framing her face.

Both women seem to stop abruptly and burst into a fit of laughter, holding onto each other for support until they eventually lose their balance and fall down, right out of Oliver's line of sight.

** >>-> **

Watching Felicity dance with this guy leaves Oliver with the same pain in his chest he'd felt seeing her with Barry Allen at his failed attempt of a party for his mother.

She seems familiar with him, comfortable in his arms, and it makes Oliver angry.

But, alas, when this total stranger - well, not a _total_ stranger; Oliver was sure he'd seen him around the office a few times - had approached Felicity and asked her for a dance, he'd had no reason to stop her accepting the offer.

He was jealous. A line has been crossed where there's no use denying it, at least not to himself. Seeing his girl Friday dance with anyone who wasn't him brought out a shade of green he never thought he'd wear.

This could all be solved, he thinks, if Oliver would actually ask her to dance before someone else swooped in and did it for him. 

He considers walking over there, taking Felicity for himself - because, this is his company's event, the kid couldn't exactly say no if his boss were to ask to cut in. A hand claps down in his shoulder before he can move and when he turns Oliver finds himself looking at John Diggle, a knowing smirk on his face.

"I can see the cogs turning in your head, man, and if you go running over there and make a scene, she'll never forgive you." Digg tells him, retracting his hand to cross it over his chest with his other.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He retorts, but it sounds weak even to his own ears.

Diggle rolls his eyes but says no more on the matter, choosing instead to nod his head and turn his attention elsewhere.

Three songs later, Oliver's foot is tapping against the floor impatiently as he sees Felicity laugh at something what's-his-face said and her hand tighten on his lapel - Oliver's own hand tightens in response and he finds himself wishing it was grasping his bow and arrows. 

He's pretty sure that guy asked her for a dance, not a whole evening's worth.

** >>-> **

"Okay, now you've gotta put this foot forward - no, that one." He hears her voice before he sees her as he makes his way down the stairs to the foundry.

"Yes, I got it, 'Licity." Roy's exasperated voice replies, and Oliver can practically hear the eye roll in it.

When the pair comes into his line of sight, though, he stops in his tracks. Standing in the open space, atop the training mats, are Felicity and Roy; the former with a hand on his shoulder and the later with one placed awkwardly on her back. Their remaining hands lay limply by their sides, with Felicity's occasionally moving around to point something out or correct the younger man's stance.

Oliver nearly doubles over laughing when he realises Felicity is teaching Roy how to dance.  
It's not even that funny of a concept, more just one he'd never thought he'd see. 

"What are you guys doing?" He asks, finally, startling the pair.

"Gosh, Oliver, do you have to do that?" Felicity asks, a hand placed over her heart. Oliver thinks he hears her mumbling something about getting a bell, but he can't be sure.

"What are you doing?" He repeats, a light smirk on his face as he leans up against one of the large, glass cases.

"Felicity is teaching me how to dance." Roy says bluntly, before turning his attention back to the afore mentioned woman.

"Yes, I gathered that much," Oliver responds, rolling his eyes, "but why?" 

"Thea asked me to go as her date to one of those fancy events your family insists on attending." Roy huffed, obviously displeased with the idea of having to go.

Felicity adjusted the young man's stance as he sulked, trying yet again to get him to keep both his chin and elbow raised.

"And I know she's going to want to dance, so I asked Felicity to show me the basics." He finished, begrudgingly complying with the little blonde's silent instructions.

"That's better. Come on, let's try this again." Felicity says, finally, rejoining her right hand with his left one and holding it level with their heads, stopping for a moment to make sure her partner keeps his arm high and back straight.

When the talking stops, Oliver hears music playing from somewhere in the foundry. He recognises the song as one he'd heard before the island, but doesn't think he's heard since. It sounds like a boy band and not at all the kind of music he tends to listen to; maybe Thea had played it to him.

Roy puts his right foot forward, awkwardly, and Felicity moves her left one back in sync, both of them then sliding to one side. They continue like this for a while, alternating between feet, and eventually Roy starts to get a little more comfortable in the dance, his movements more confident.

"Yeah, that's it. Now if you could just do it without staring at your feet, you'd be good to go." Felicity teases with a light smile, using their joined hands to nudge his chin up.

Almost instantly after raising his gaze, the young man stumbles a little, but they continue to make the steps, with only the occasional fault. They reach a point where Felicity begins to wordlessly move them in circles as they move, so every few steps she's putting her foot forward as they turn.

The pair talk a little as they move, laughing together as they grow more comfortable in each others hold, but Oliver can only pick out a few of the words. His attention is focused is too much on watching them to really worry about listening to what they're saying.

Silence falls over the room for a moment before that same song kicks in again and this time Oliver is sure he's heard it before. Something by - what were they called? - East Life? No, that's not it.

With a shrug of his shoulders, Oliver let's the thought drop as he watches his two team mates run through the dance again, this time moving around the space almost effortlessly, with only the occasional chiding from Felicity about posture.

When they finally stop, Roy pulls the blonde in for a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek before he hurry's out of the foundry, calling 'thank you' over his shoulder as he goes.

Felicity laughs and rolls her eyes as she watches the young man retreat, shaking her head as she moves to collect her iPod from a docking station that definitley hadn't been there this morning.

Oliver let's the quiet settle over them for a few minutes before finally he cracks;

"Okay, seriously, what was that damn song?"

** >>-> **

To dance with Felicity Smoak was pretty high up on Oliver Queen's bucket list.

Actually, her name appeared quite regularly; so much so that there may as well be a whole separate list for all the hopes and dreams Oliver had when it came to his IT girl.

So, of course, when it finally happened, it was in the most clichéd way possible.  
In the rain.

Oliver's not totally sure how they got there, standing in the middle of Starling City's central park during a pounding downpour. He's pretty sure they'd been arguing not too long before, and she'd walked straight out of the foundry, slamming the door behind her.

Remembering that her car was in the shop, Oliver had chased after her a few minutes after she'd left, hoping he could catch up with her if she was on foot. When it started raining, when the water starting slamming down against him, he'd started running. 

Because it had been a sunny day right up until that moment, and so Felicity hadn't been wearing a coat. She had no car to drive home in or jacket to take shelter beneath. She was out there. In a freaking monsoon.

Oliver broke out into a full sprint.

When finally he'd spotted her, walking as quickly as she could in her soaked through panda flats, he'd called out to her as loudly as he could. Felicity turned quickly at the sudden noise, but made no move towards him - she didn't walk further away, either, though. Oliver counted that as a win.

With long, quick strides, Oliver tore through the space between them. He was already pulling his jacket off before he was even within six feet of her.

He stepped in close to the blonde, pulling his jacket over her shoulders and tight around her before stepping back a little. It was a few sizes too bag and the material practically swallowed her, but seeing her in his clothing awoke something very primal in Oliver.

His hands came up to her cheeks and then almost recoiled when he felt how wet and freezing her skin was. Only with the contact between them did Oliver realise that her whole body was shaking with involuntary shivers at it tried to fight off the cold.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." The words passed his lips so many times, tone hushed but still loud enough to be heard over the storm brewing around them.

"It's okay." She'd whispered, leaning tipping her head towards his, an action which he responded to by resting his forehead upon hers, "I'm sorry, too." 

"You don't ever have to apologise to me, not ever." Oliver told her, blue eyes piercing her's with a seriously intense gaze.

There was nothing but Felicity to do but nod gently, her head rubbing against his with the action, and wrap her arms around his neck.

Oliver's hands had come away from her face then, travelling down until they met her hips and he'd pulled her flush against him. Felicity's head settled below his chin with her cheek resting against his chest as they embraced in the middle of the downpour.

At some point, having long forgotten about the weather, Oliver had begun to sway them from side to side, one hand rising to the back of his neck to grasp one of her own. He lifted it to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss to it before pressing their entwined fingers against the side of his chest that Felicity wasn't currently occupying.

Minutes passed where they stayed like that; content to sway in each others in silence, but this time, it was Felicity's voice that broke it.

"Are we dancing?" She asked, tilting her head to look up at him, but keeping her cheek pressed against his body.

"Yeah, I think we are." He laughed, raising one arm so Felicity could spin beneath their clasped hands before he pulled her back against him.

"Finally." She sighed, a shy smile appearing on her face when she realised what she'd said.

Oliver stared at her in shock for a moment before he'd laughed and nodded his head in agreement.

"Do you think maybe we could go and find somewhere with a roof to dance? Not that this isn't great, it's just that I'm kind of freezing and my toes are going numb." 

With one quick move, Oliver had her swept up in his arms and he was moving towards the exit of the park, carry his girl Friday down the path towards her home.

"Oliverrr!" She'd squealed, "I can walk, you know? My toes aren't _that_ numb." 

He ignored her protests, not letting her feet touch the ground again until they were inside her apartment.

There, they proceeded to dance some more, laughing and swaying and spinning in the private space. Neither paid any mind to their soaking wet clothes or the puddles they were leaving in the white carpet.

The next day was spent curled up in Felicity's bed with tissues and cough drops, but, looking back, it was worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 200 points if you guessed that the title of this chapter is a reference to a wicked song


	11. Of All the ways to say I Love You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The five times Felicity tells someone she loves them and the one time she tells Oliver.

**1**

"Morning, Felicity." Digg says as he follows Oliver from the executive elevator, his voice echoing in the otherwise silent room.

She replies with as bright a smile as she can muster in her tired state, trying (and failing) to stifle a yawn as she bids him good morning.

As Oliver carries on to his office, with in which a board member is waiting to address him, Diggle stays behind, loitering beside Felicity's desk.

"What time did he have you running those searches til?" He asks, nodding his head in Oliver's direction.

"I don't know, but it was late," Felicity mumbles, running a hand through the hair she didn't have the strength to put in a pony tail that morning, "Well, technically, it was early." She adds, sure it had been at least two AM when she'd left the foundry th night before.

"You work too hard, Felicity." John chides, shaking his head a little.

And then he's walking away from her, back towards the lifts from which he'd first arrived. Felicity considers calling out to him to ask where he's going, but finds she doesn't have the energy to really care. If it was arrow related, he'd tell her and if not then Diggle could take care of himself.

Twenty minutes later, the ding of the elevator wakes Felicity from the half asleep trance she'd been sitting in and Digg walks back into the space, approaching her desk.

Wordlessly, he lifts her arm and presses a warm Styrofoam cup into her hand before taking a step back. Lifting the drink to her lips, Felicity sips it and then hums in approval as the warm liquid runs down her throat.

"God, I love you, John Diggle." She announces, raising the cup back to her mouth. 

Digg chuckles above her, shaking his head as Felicity grins up at him.

"Don't I know it, Smoak." 

Only he notices the smile on Oliver's lips as the CEO's attention shifts from the man before him to watch the little encounter between his friends through the glass walls of his office.

**2**

"So, I hear you're banging your boss." Stephanie states, slipping onto the brown leather couch of the coffee shop she and her friends often frequent.

"You know I'm not." Felicity protests, glaring at her companion, "You're late."

"Well, Jo isn't here yet, so I'm not really late." The red head retorts as she slips off her black jacket and lays it over the armrest of the sofa.

"You know, just because you're not _as late_ as her, doesn't mean you're not late." Felicity retorts, rolling her eyes fondly at the girl on the other end of the couch.

"Anyway, back to the imporant stuff," Steph waves a hand around the air in front of her face, seemingly dismissing the conversation, "You and Oliver Queen; spill." 

"There's nothing to spill," The blonde sighs, "Except that coffee if you don't stop moving your hand around like that." 

Steph huffs, dropping her arm back to her side, as she shifts in her seat so she's completely facing Felicity with her legs crossed on the cool leather.

"Don't give me any of that crap, Lis. There's something going on with you two, I just know it." 

"Have you seen _'Guardians of the Galaxy'_ yet?" Felicity asks, attempting to steer the conversation away from herself.

"Yes! It's so good!" Her friend responds, excitedly, and Felicity is filled with relief as the topic of conversation is successfully shifted into more comfortable waters.

"What did you think of Gamora and Peter?" 

"They're totally meant to be." Steph says, dreamily, a large smile spreading across her face.

"We talking about Felicity and her boss, again?" A new voice asks.

Felicity groans as Jo slides easily into the arm chair opposite of herself and Stephanie.

"You know I love you guys more than anything, but I hate you so much." 

"Well, maybe not more than anything, huh?" Steph adds, her devious, knowing smirk returning.

**3**

She cries when Sara tells her she's going back to Nanda Parbat. It's just the two of them in the foundry when Sara breaks the news and suddenly the blondes are wrapped around each other tightly.

"I'm gonna miss you so much, cutie." Sara whispers, hugging her friend as close as she can, "Nobody talks to me, looks at me like you do - like I'm still a good, normal person." 

"Sara," Felicity replies, pulling back a little so she can see the other girl's face, "You _are_ a good person." 

They both start shedding tears then.

"I'm not," the Lance sister chokes, shaking her head, "I'm a killer." 

"That's one of the things makes you so special," Felicity explains, "Somehow, in some weird, unique, _wonderful_ way, you're both." 

They sob harder. Sara's face ends up pressed into the IT girls shoulder as the pair cling to each other one last time.

"You're really something else, Smoak." She tells her, finally.

"Aren't we all?" 

For the first time since their conversation had begun, both women share a smile, a knowing look shared between two dear friends who really shouldn't have managed to become so close in such little time.

"I'm pretty sure you're my best friend, you know." Felicity says, earning a small, bitter laugh from Sara, "Don't tell Digg, though."

"Assassins don't tend to make very good best friends." 

"Yeah, well, I'm kind of prone to making bad decisions that turn iut being pretty great so you're my best friend and I love you and you're just going to have to deal with that." 

The canary pulls away, looking straight into the eyes of the girl she'd so long ago assumed to be a fragile little thing - the unexpected friend she'd greatly underestimated.

"It is an honour to know you, Felicity Smoak."

For once, the trained assassin doesn't notice the man lurking in the shadows at the edge of the room and instead focuses all her attention on the woman before her. 

Oliver watches them with a sad smile on his face before he silently moves away.

**4 & 5**

Please stop talking. She thinks, as she nods her head along with whatever it is the business men are saying to her, a fake smile gracing her lips. _Just a little while longer and you can leave, just a little longer,_ she tells herself.

When she feels eyes on her back, Felicity turns her head and spots Thea halfway across the room - looking absolutely stunning in her black dress, she might add - giving her a sympathetic look. Shrugging slightly at the girl, with a little eye roll for added effect, the blonde turns her attention back to the group she's standing with, hoping they hadn't noticed her exchange with the young Queen.

Of course, they hadn't; too wrapped up in themselves to really pay her any mind, but all still expecting her to give them her full attention. _Stupid galas._

A warm pressure meets the red fabric at the back of her dress and Felicity startles, almost spilling the little remaining contents of her champagne flute.

"I've been sent to rescue you." A male voice whispers in her ear, and Felicity instantly relaxes when she realises the man at her back is Roy.

"Oh, thank God." She sighs. 

Roy laughs a little before guiding her away from the group, not bothering to offer them any explanation of Felicity's sudden departure.

They move in the direction she'd seen Thea earlier, both looking the part in their formal attire but neither feeling comfortable at the event. 

"You are a God send Roy Harper," Felicity tells the younger man, placing a kiss on his cheek, " and I love you." 

He swats at her, mumbling about her being a weird lady and how he wouldn't have come to her if he'd known she was gonna go all big sister on him.

"Aw, come on, Roy. I'm not all bad." She grins at him, her arm looped through his as they walk.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," He responds, still grumbling irritably "I love you too, or whatever."

There's a little smile tugging at the corner of his lips, though, and Felicity knows he's not nearly as upset about the whole thing as he's acting.

"Don't let him take all the credit," Thea slides in beside them, linking her own arm through Roy's free one, "I sent him over." 

"Thank you, Thea." Felicity responds, leaning forward so she can see the other girl past the boy between them, "They were so boring

"What, no declaration of love for me?" The brunette asks, grinning at Felicity.

"I love you, too, Thea," She laughs, the beam on her face just as wide and bright as the young Queen's.

"Great, now, let's go force Roy to dance with us so we can pretend this thing is at least a little fun." 

Both women ignore Roy's protests as they drag him around the room, but neither miss the light in his eyes that tells them he's having a good time.

He pales rather suddenly, though, as he stares at a spot on the other side of the large hall, visibly swallowing past a lump in his throat.

When Felicity and Thea follow his gaze, they spot Oliver staring at them with a warning look for the boy, and both roll their eyes. 

Roy can't quite shake his fear, though, as he realises he's wedged between the two most important girls in the Arrow's life.

**Oliver**

"You're an idiot, do you know that?" Felicity sighs, pressing the gauze down further onto his shoulder wound.

Oliver huffs from his place on the metal table, but doesn't further acknowledge what's been said. 

"Really, Oliver, what were you thinking?" She continues, stepping between the man's open legs to get a better look at his injuries, "You could have gotten yourself   
killed." 

He snaps at that, his eyes shooting up to catch hers in a blazing stare, and she feels his muscles tense beneath her touch.

"I was thinking that _you_ could have gotten hurt, Felicity, you could have gotten-" Oliver cuts himself off, not able to say the word allowed, but they both hear it.

She could have been killed. She knows it, he knows it, it's the truth. Felicity, though, still doesn't accept it as a decent explanation for what went down that night.  
"Stuff like that happens, Oliver. You should have trusted me to be able to handle it on my own."

With a heavy sigh, she pulls back from him, making a move to turn away, but he doesn't let her. Strong hands land on her hips with a firm grip, holding her in place.

"I trust you, Felicity, maybe more than anyone. You need to know that." Oliver tells her, resting his forehead against the top of hers, "But keeping you safe has to come before that - it comes before everything. Protecting you is the _least_ idiotic thing I've ever done."

"You are so stupid and reckless and sweet," Felicity sighs, bringing her hands up into his short, cropped hair to rub against his scalp soothingly, "And you are such an idiot, such a huge idiot."

"Felicity-"

"You are an idiot for putting your life on the line for me, for putting on a green hood and risking your life, for not realising that it matters to me that you don't get hurt." 

One of her hands trails away from his head and down until it wraps around his neck. She steps forward so she's as pressed against him as she can get while he's still perched upon the medical table.

Oliver tenses for a moment, before he allows his own hands to travel from her hips to be wrapped around her completely.

"I think I might be even more of an idiot than you." Felicity says into his chest.

Oliver pulls back a little so he can see her before responding with, "Why?"

"Because I love you, you idiot."

He kisses her and kisses her and then kisses her some more until everything else fades away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not quite the ending I had in mind, but this is just what I ended up with. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! Leave a review/PM and let me know what you think!  
> ALSO: I considered doing a sort of connection to this one, either as:   
> 'The five times someone tells Felicity they love her & one time it's Oliver.'  
> or,  
> 'The five times Oliver tells Felicity he loves her and the one time she listens.'  
> Thoughts? Again, thank you for reading!


	12. Of Third Person Weirdness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Arrow start referring to themselves in third person to tease Oliver.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a little out of practice so this is gonna be a shorter one and I'm sorry if this is awful and filled with mistakes, but I really hope you enjoy it!  
> This ones a little lighter on the olicity.

"Does it creep you out when Oliver refers to himself by name?" Roy asks as he plops down onto a stool near Felicity's work station, watching Diggle and the afore mentioned vigilante talk on the other side of the foundry.

"A little, yeah, I guess. Why do you ask?" The blonde replies, spinning in her chair to face the young man. Roy turns his head towards her and a slow smile spreads across his face.

"I have an idea."

**0**

"How are things going, Felicity?" Oliver asks, referring to the lines of code progressing over one of the computer monitors.

"Pretty good - Felicity will probably have this finished soon." The IT girl responds, not taking her eyes off the screen infront of her. She does, however, allow herself a small smirk when she hears Roy's snickering somewhere behind her.

Oliver, though, just tilts his head at her before moving away to the salmon ladder.

**0**

"Roy, hit the mats, we need to work on your left kicks." Oliver calls, already moving towards the training area.

"But, Roy's _tired_!" He whines in response, slumping down further into the ratty couch in the basement's corner.

"Tough, on your feet." The Arrow responds, ignoring Roy's out of character referral to himself.

And, though he also ignores it, Oliver doesn't miss the small smile Felicity and his protege share when Roy finally vacates his seat.

**0**

It doesn't take very long for Diggle to catch on.

Roy and Felicity have been playing this little game with Oliver for almost a week, taking great pleasure from the increasingly confused looks they've been receiving from him.

So, naturally, John wants in.

**0**

His opportunity arises one night in the foundry. Roy's been grumbling for a while and has finally come straight out with the fact that he needs (wants) food immediately.

"Digg will go pick something up," John announces, earning looks of surprise from the two youngest members of the team, which quickly morph into amused grins, "John's in the mood for some Big Belly Burger, that good with you guys?"

"That's good with Smoak and Harper." Felicity beams, eyes shining.

Oliver stares at them all, with their big, cheesy grins, like they've lost their minds.

**0**

If Oliver has noticed anything he doesn't mention it, though Diggle presumes he's realised something's up by now.

That doesn't stop him from enjoying it while it lasts, though.

_"Felicity would disagree", "Roy thinks it's this way", "John's gotta go"_ , and - Felicity's personal favourite - "Arsenal is doing some good in this city", just because of how well it mimics the young man's mentor, are all lines that have featured in the long list the team have been building up.

**0**

"I know what you're doing, you know," Oliver tells Diggle one day, "and, Oliver Queen is not amused."

"Yeah, well, John Diggle is. And so are Roy and Felicity, both of whom don't have nearly as much time to have fun as they should," John replies, matter of factly, "Just let them have this for a little longer, man, all right."

The vigilante sighs, but says nothing more on the matter.

**0**

Felicity knows he knows.

And Oliver's pretty sure that she knows he knows.

Because, now, whenever she refers to herself in the third person, she smiles warmly at him, even winks occasionally. It's her way of letting him in on the joke, making sure he knows it _is just_ a joke, and he thinks it's sweet.

Oliver thinks she's sweet. Knows she is. Is sure she is the cutest, nerdiest, _sweetest_ person he's ever met.

Roy's the only one who doesn't know they're busted. Diggle hasn't told him and Felicity certainly won't be the one to do it - she can't stand the thought of taking away the little bit of fun the young man gets to indulge in.

Sweet.

**0**

Oliver continues to talk about himself in third person, but now more than ever.

Roy still doesn't catch on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As warned, this chapter was awfully lacking in Olicity and content, but I really, really, wanted to get something up after such a long gap, even if it's not up to standard.   
> Maybe I'll come back to this and add more or tweak it in the future.  
> Please let me know what you think and I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading!


	13. Of Sudden Departures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity knows how to fight, and she uses that to strike a deal to give her friend her life back. Even if that means walking away from Starling City and all her loved ones.

"Sara, it's time to go." Nyssa's voice called across the foundry to where her lover was saying goodbye to her friends.

As payment for the league's help in taking down Slade Wilson, Sara had agreed to return to them willingly, once again leaving behind her friends and family. It's not something she really wanted - being an assassin had never fit into the plan that she'd made for her life - but it was what she needed to do, the right thing to do.

Just as she began to move towards the door of the foundry, possibly for the last time, a gentle hand on her shoulder stopped her and she turned to find the other blonde woman standing behind her.

"Just, wait here for a second, okay?" Felicity told her, squeezing her shoulder briefly before walking past her, "Nyssa, we need to talk."

The IT girl and the master assassin moved away from the group together, talking in hushed voices. It shocked Sara to see Nyssa so open and gentle towards a girl who's practically a total stranger to her, but then she realises that that stranger is Felicity - the girl tends to have that affect on people.

"What do they have to talk about?" Oliver asked, eyeing the women standing across the room, talking at a volume that even he can't hear.

"I have no idea." Sara replies, honestly.

.

"You want to offer yourself in Sara's place?" Nyssa asked, staring at the young woman before her as if she had grown a second head.

The heir to the demon had expected little of the blonde; she was tiny and fragile, and Nyssa could only assume she was kept around because of her incredible intellect. Now, though, she sees the heart beneath it all, the kindness. The loyalty that seeps through her every vein and sparks an uncomparable bravery within her.

"I do." Felicity replied, keeping her head high and her shoulders back in a way that made it absolutely clear how serious she was being.

"Why would you want to do that?" Nyssa was not the type to worry over things, but her curiosity was spiked by the thought of such a pure creature giving herself willingly to the darkness.

"I know it's not what you want to hear, because you love her and you want her to return with you, I know that," the IT specialist began, staring the assassin straight in the eyes, "But Sara has a family here, people who love her and have lost her too many times already to have her taken away from them again."

"And you don't?" Nyssa raised an eyebrow, finding it hard to believe that this girl wouldn't have people around to cherish her and miss her if she were the one to leave.

"Outside of this room, there is no one. No family, very few friends, most of whom I've been neglecting since taking on my position on Oliver's crime fighting team." She sighed, running a hand through her hair, tiredly, "I can count on two hands how many people truly mean something to me in this world."

And she could: Oliver, Diggle, Sara, Roy, Lyla, Thea, Detective Lance, Barry, Walter. Nine people, none of whom she'd known two years ago - excluding Walter, who she'd been working under for a few years prior to her introduction to Oliver Queen.

In such little time, those nine had wormed their way into her heart so easily and had quickly become the most important people - the most important anything - in Felicity Smoak's life. Felicity knew that she would take a bullet for any one of them, and that knowledge gives her a rush of both pride and fear, but she wouldn't have it any other way.

"That is a very big sacrifice to make, Miss Smoak." Nyssa said, eventually, drawing the blonde out of her thoughts.

"I know, and I am willing to make it." She responds almost instantly, her back straightening as her voice takes on an even deeper tone of seriousness, "I can fight, too - not quite assassin level, but I'm good and I pick things up fast."

Nyssa looked her over for a moment, assessing her. It was true that shed had hopes of returning to the league with Sara, but there was also a certain level of guilt that weighed down on her chest when she thought about taking her away from her family. She knew Sara didn't want to come with her.

Then, here was this girl - so strong and so noble and so brave - offering herself up willingly, giving up her own happiness for that of her friend's, and Nyssa saw no other choice.

"I accept your offer." She told Felicity, then reached out to place a hand on her shoulder, "And in repayment for your sacrifice, I will ensure you never have to take a life in cold blood. You will fight along side others, including myself, but you will never be assigned a kill order."

Felicity let out a relieved sigh and allows her shoulders to sag as the tension rolled out of them. That, the idea of taking a life, becoming a murderer, had been the fatal flaw in her plan, the one thing she dreaded more than anything else.

"Thank you." She breathed, tipping her head forward the slightest bit.

"No, thank you. Thank you for saving her."

.

A silent agreement was made between the unlikely pair that the news of Felicity's departure would remain a secret until the very last moment. Both women knew the reactions they'd receive if they were to tell anyone of the IT girl's intentions to take Sara's place in the league.

Nyssa spoke to Sara, told her that she would not be required to return to Nanda Parbat with her, but gave no reason as to the sudden change in plans. The Lance sister seemed relieved, though, and was more than happy not to ask questions for fear of Nyssa's mind being changed - it made the assassin all the more grateful for Felicity's offer to take her place.

All she really wanted for Sara was happiness, if this is where she got it then so be it.

That was the only good bye Nyssa would have to make before they left and it made Felicity envious.

The league had been informed of the change of plans and had slowly come around to the idea, agreeing to give them more time to return so their newest member could collect her things and bid farewell to her loved ones.

Two days. Two days to say good bye to her friends without them knowing it was a good bye. Two days to pack up her whole life and walk away. It was a lot to take in such a short time, but she knew what she was signing up for.

And, so, Felicity set to work on saying her good byes that weren't really good byes but also kind of were.

That thought alone gave her a migraine.

.

Her first talk was with Walter, thinking it would make things easier if she could start out the whole process over the phone rather than in person considering he was still in London.

She was wrong.

They chatted like they so often would, like there was nothing wrong, like she was just phoning to say hi and see how the older man was doing. She only let the conversation shift into more serious territory towards the end, when she thanked him so, so much for everything he'd done for her and reminded him of how good a friend he was, that she missed him so much.

Would miss him so much.

He'd asked her if everything was alright, before returning the sentiments and allowing their call to come to an end.

She'd cried for an hour after that.

.

Where a smile for the nurses she recognised usually sit, there was a deep frown set firmly in place upon Felicity's lips. She walked through the hospital corridors with her arms held tightly to her sides, fingers twitching, and her head bowed.

After her call to England, she'd gotten aboard the first train to central city and walked the familiar path to where she knew her friend lay comatose - he's sleeping, damnit.

A familiar nurse told Felicity that there hadn't been much change in his condition since she'd last visited, though the small signs he had shown had all been positive. Under normal circumstances, she'd have smiled and thanked the nurse, but that day she chose instead to silently move into the blue hair beside the bed.

"Hey, Barry," She whispered, "I have some news."

His silence was deafening.

.

It was easier than it probably should have been for her to get into the ARGUS compound, but no one seemed too surprised to see her there. Felicity moved quickly and with purpose, ignoring the glances some of the agents were throwing her way as she asked around for Agent Michaels.

"Felicity," Lyla called, smiling at the younger woman as she approached her, "to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"That depends." The blonde responded, crossing her arms over her chest.

"On...?" Lyla prompted, tipping her head to the side in confusion.

"On whether you can keep a secret from Diggle." Felicity told her, meeting her gaze.

"Well, that depends."

"On...?"

"The secret."

Felicity considered the words for a moment before coming to a final decision; she'd tell her the truth, just not the whole truth.

"I'm going away for a while..."

.

"Miss Smoak, how lovely it is to see you." Quentin greeted as he saw the blonde making her way into the police station and towards the detective.

"And you, detective." She replied, stopping just short of his desk.

"Is this to do with our, uh, mutual friend?" He asked, rising to his feet so he could talk in a hushed tone, fearing that one of his colleagues may over hear him.

"No, not at all."

"So, what can I do for ya, sweetheart?" He visibly relaxed the slightest bit before leaning against his desk, folding his arms as he addressed the young woman before him.

"Have you heard from Sara yet?" She asked.

"That she's staying; yeah, she called me a couple hours ago. Great news, huh?" His tone of voice took on a much happier note as the topic shifted to his youngest daughter and it only strengthened Felicity's resolve.

"The best." She told him, returning his wide grin with a small one of her own.

"But, I don't think you came all the way down here just for that. So, you gonna tell me what's going on, sweetheart?"

Before she could stop herself, she was lunging at him, wrapping her arms around his neck in a tight embrace. She hugged him because no one had ever called her sweetheart before he, nor had anyone been so much like a father to her or watched out for her the way he did.

It made her feel loved.

"Woah, hey," The detectives arms come up to cradle the small woman, "what's going on? You're not in any trouble, are ya? Ain't made any more stupid decisions about how you spend your nights or putting yourself in danger, have ya?"

The concern she hears in her voice pushes her even further over the edge as she allows a few stray tears to fall from her eyes.

"No, I actually think I just made the best decision of my life."

.

It's all she could take for one day, so she drove herself home and curls up on the couch for a little while because she knew it may be the last time she ever got the chance. Looking around at her things, she became very aware that she should be preparing - packing the things she could take and having the rest piled into storage or sold - but she just couldn't bring herself to do it, not right then.

Deciding eventually to leave it until the morning, Felicity finally crawled into her warm bed and lay staring at the ceilling above her, memorising ever crack and the shadows cast by her chandelier.

Tomorrow, she would walk into Verdant and tell the final four that she was leaving - in so many words. Thea, Roy, Sara, John, Oliver.

Her heart was just about ready to give out.

.

"Lis!" An excited voice rang through the club as Felicity took her first step through the doors, her final step.

"Hey, Thea." She replied, her tone showing no where near as much enthusiasm as the young Queen.

Felicity picked at her fingernails awkwardly, scrubbing at the dirt that lay beneath them from her time spent laying flowers at Tommy's grave a short time before.

Thea bounced towards her, happily, and threw her arms around the blonde the moment she was within reach.

"I didn't know you were coming by today." She smiled, pulling back from the hug.

"Yeah, well, there's something I need to talk to you about."

Gone was the beaming grin on the younger girls face as she locked eyes with her friend, her best friend, and she took on a much more serious look.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like it?" She asked, warily.

"Because you're not." Felicity told her, honestly, "And, I want you to remember that I'm not abandoning you, I would never want to do that, but there's something I have to do."

Thea took in a shaky breath as tears burned in the back of her eyes, threatening to spill over at any given moment.

"Are you leaving?" She whispered, scared to hear the answer, because she knew what it would be.

Felicity nodded her head, unable to speak past the lump in her throat. She held the sobbing brunette for at least a half hour after that, before finally making her way towards the secret door in the back.

But, not before she'd pressed a locket into the young women's hand, one that matched perfectly the one handing around the blonde's own neck.

She was walking away before Thea could open it.

.

"Hey, blondie, come look at this!" Roy's happy voice called the second Felicity's shoes hit the bottom step into the foundry.

She moved slowly towards where he was standing near the row of targets set up on one of the walls, purposefully making her steps heavier so he'd know she was there when she got close.

"I hit all the- are you okay?" The younger man had spun to face her and found a girl standing behind him with slumped shoulders and tear tracks on her face - nothing like the bubbly girl he knew, "You've been crying. Did someone hurt you?"

Felicity saw his shoulders tense and fists clench at his sides as the words left his mouth, so she was quick to reach out and cover one of his fists in her hands.

"No, no one hurt me," She reassured, quietly, "But, do you think we can talk?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure." He nodded, wiping his hands on a white towel that he then threw haphazardly onto the nearest table.

With a quick look around to ensure no one else was in the foundry, Felicity began to speak.

"Team Arrow's going to have to get by without me for a while."

She explained to him that she was leaving - leaving the team, QC, Starling - but, again, didn't give the honest reason as to why. Roy held onto her tight when she was finished and the blonde turned her head to kiss his cheek and tell him he was the little brother she never knew she wanted.

He grumbled and wiped at his cheek, but they both knew it was only half heartedly. She smiled and kissed his other cheek just to annoy him.

Roy rolled his eyes and pushed her away, gently, but Felicity saw the sad smile pulling at the young man's lips.

.

"Felicity!" John's voice boomed, echoing loudly through the foundry along with his heavy boots stomping down the stairs, "We need to talk right now."

She sighed when he came into view, looking really rather angry, and she knew that Lyla had told him about her upcoming departure.

"Yeah, let's talk."

Roy, Sara and Oliver - the last two having arrived not long after Felicity's chat with Roy - all turned their gazes towards the seething man. Confusion and worry bloomed on the faces of the island alumni, but Roy's held nothing but pity and understanding.

"Lyla filled me in on your little conversation yesterday." Digg yelled, angrily, stopping just short of Felicity with his arms folded tightly across his chest.

"I know, Digg. Can we talk about this somewhere else?" Felicity replied, wary of the two other people in the room who she was still yet to have this discussion with.

"No, we're going to talk about this right here, right now." John answered, glaring down at the little blonde, "And you're going to tell me the truth, the real reason for all this crap and not the bullshit excuse you've been feeding everyone else."

"Diggle, please." She pleaded, quietly, bowing her head to hide the tears she knew were filling her eyes.

She felt rather than saw the man's gaze soften the slightest bit as his arms unfolded and came to rest at his sides instead, though the hurt and confusion still rolled off of him in waves.

"What's going on?" Oliver demanded, moving quickly towards his original Arrow partners.

"You gonna tell him?" Digg asked, eyes still focused on Felicity.

"Tell me what?" The vigilante asked, also turning his attention to the blonde.

"I can't tell you, not yet." Felicity voice was quiet and strained as she fought with everything she had to stop the sobs threatening to rack her body.

"Tell. Me. What." Oliver spoke with what Felicity had come to know as his 'Grr' voice, the one he kept hidden away until he put on the hood. Most people would tremble at the sound of it, but she - unlike the other people who'd heard it before - knew she was in no danger and she had no reason to be afraid.

Tears were running freely down her cheeks, but she kept her head bowed forward in a futile attempt to keep them hidden. Diggle shifted beside her, reaching out a hand to place on her arm as he finally took pity on the girl.

"Okay, how about we go somewhere to talk and you'll come to him when you're ready?" He offered, speaking softer than he had all night.

With a nod of her head she turned her gaze back to Digg and allowed him to pull her gently towards the stairs.

"Is anyone going to tell me what is going on here?" Oliver called after them.

"Yes, Felicity will. When she's ready."

They sat in one of Verdant's private offices together as Felicity began to explain.

She told him the truth. Where she was going, how she'd be leaving at dawn the next day, her intentions to join the league in Sara's place, sacrifice her own happiness for that of her friend and Nyssa's promise that she would never have to take a life in cold blood.

By the time they were finished there was an upturned table and broken glass on the floor, evidence of the anger that had over taken the ex-soldier when he finally knew the truth.

Looking at her, though, Digg knew there was nothing he could say to change her mind. Felicity had a heart of pure gold and if she thought she was doing something for the better, to save her friend, then hell would freeze over before she didn't take it upon herself to do it.

He hugged her and kissed her hair repeatedly, making a joke about how he expected regular post cards from Nanda Parbat, and Felicity found herself wondering - not for the first time that day - if she was truly prepared to leave this life behind.

.

An hour passed before they finally returned to the foundry together, hands clasped between them. Felicity wasn't sure if she was clutching him, he was clutching her, or they were both just clinging to each other.

Digg's muscles were tense as they entered the lowest level of the building, a clear sign of his remaining anger, but he didn't let go of Felicity. She was the baby sister he never knew he wanted, but now couldn't see himself spending his days without.

He looked around the room and realised just how dark it would become down in the foundry without her constant presence. There would be no bright cardigans left slung over the back of her chair, no heels laying under a desk where she'd kick them off at the end of a long day, no sexual innuendos or constant chatter.

There'd be no one for him to guard anymore. No dainty blonde for him to feel protective over, to defend. No Felicity.

Then, John looked down to the afore mentioned girl and realised that that may be the last time he is ever to see her, at least how she is now. If he was to cross paths with her again, she would be a hardened warrior, wearing dark clothes and wielding countless weapons - she'd be everything he hoped she'd never become when she joined team arrow.

Tear tracks stained her red cheeks, running down from her equally red and puffy eyes and no, this cannot be how he last sees her.

So, Diggle starting making jokes, though it pained him to do so at a time like this, and he kept making jokes until finally Felicity let out a giggle, a smile. That was how he wanted to remember her.

Stop thinking like she's dying, his brain supplied, she's just going away for a while; she'll be back.

In the corner of his vision he saw a flash of green and then Oliver was there, standing infront of them with his arms crossed over his chest. And Felicity started crying all over again.

The vigilante looked shocked, scared even, but then he took a step forward, reaching for his girl with both arms open, and only then did Diggle finally let go of her hand.

She flew forward at a startling speed, arms wrapping around Oliver's neck in a vice like grip as she sobbed into his leather clad shoulder. His own arms encircled her tiny waist, pulling her closer still until they were pressed flush against each other.

Oliver looked over her head at Digg, a silent question in his eyes and concern covering his face. With a shake of his head, Diggle stepped forward, lightly squeezing Felicity's arm.

"I think you guys need a while alone." He said, rather loudly, throwing a pointed look to Roy and Sara, who both stood watching the scene before them. Sara looked startled by the sudden events, but still showed an obvious concern for the other woman, whilst Roy just looked sad.

The three left the foundry wordlessly, closing the door loudly behind them so the remaining two would know of there departure.

.

Oliver waited a few minutes, letting Felicity sob into his shoulder a little longer, before he pulled back just enough to look into her eyes. Her puffy, red rimmed eyes - he felt his heart break just looking at her.

"Sweetheart," he started, gently, "I need you to tell me what's wrong so I know who I need to beat up, okay?"

Felicity managed a tiny laugh, the very thing Oliver had been aiming for, before she moved her head away from his chest to look up at him.

"I don't know how to say it," she sobbed, "but I need you to promise you're not going to yell at me because I've already had enough anger from Digg I don't think I can handle that from you right now."

"Fe-lic-it-y" he said slowly, "you're really worrying me now, okay? I need to know what's going on."

"I'm leaving." She blurted, quick, like ripping off a band aid, but a thousand times more painful.

"The team?" he asked, taking a step back as he tried to process the new information.

"No - well, yes, I suppose. But not just that; I'm taking Sara's place. I'm leaving."

"You- What? Tell me you're kidding, tell me right now that this is some sort of sick set up." Oliver seethed, grabbing onto her upper arms and stooping so they were at eye level with each other.

"N-no, I'm being serious"

In the blink of an eye, Oliver was across the room, swiping things off tables with a roar of anguish. He was back just as fast, though, standing in front of her with next to no space between them.

"Is she forcing you into this?" He demanded, his breaths coming in short, angry pants.

"Wha- who?" She was visibly shaking at this point, though for what reason she wasn't sure, with her lip pulled tight between her teeth.

"Nyssa! She's making you do this so her Sara can stay home with her family but she won't get in trouble with daddy for going home empty handed!" He cried, turning to march towards the stairs, "I'll kill her for this!"

"No! Oliver, no." Felicity called quickly, clinging into his arm as he went to pass her, "I volunteered, okay!"

Stopping dead in his tracks, Oliver's shoulders tensed visibly, as he slowly turned to face her.

"You did what?" He asked quietly, too quietly for Felicity's comfort.

"I volunteered." She whispered, suddenly unable to meet his eyes.

"Why would you do that?" He breathed, and the pained way he said it made Felicity look up quickly.

"Because it's Sara, your Sara! The team needs her, you need her her family needs her. Me, though, I'm disposable, replaceable."

He swung away from her so fast Felicity couldn't help but to jump back in surprise. His fist connected with the metal table behind him with a sickening crack, the sound rivalled only by his scream.

"I'm sorry, I just thought it would be better this way, for everyone, for you. I -"

"Don't you dare say that! Don't you ever talk about yourself like you are any less than what you are, as if there is anyone else out there like you."

Despite thinking she was all out of tears, more began to leak down Felicity's cheeks at the words of her friend, the man she loved, "There is, Oliver, there are better people who won't babble or mess things up, people like Sara. The city needs those people and I'm not one of them."

"Damn it, Felicity, I need you! I. Need. You." He shouted, pulling her close by her hands which he brought up to rest against his chest, "you can't leave, please, I need you."

Oliver started crying then, too, resting his forehead against Felicity's as he stared into her equally watering eyes.

"It's okay, you'll be okay." She whispered, pressing her forehead closer against Oliver's, matching their breathing in a vain attempt to remain as calm as she possibly could.

"And what about you, Felicity?" His hands came up to cup her face, his thumbs gently brushing away her tears. "What about you?"

A long silence spreads between them and they both know that she can't promise she'll come back safely, or that she'll ever come back at all.

"I can't believe Sara is letting you do this." Oliver sighs, angrily, shaking his head.

Felicity, though, made no attempt to respond, instead staring down at the floor in silence. Something clicked in Oliver's brain as he watched her, and he used his hands on her cheeks to force her to look up at him.

"Sara does know about this, doesn't she?" her continued silence was all the answer he needed, "Felicity, she's not going to forgive you or Nyssa for this."

"She'll come to understand that this is best for everyone."

Before Oliver could voice his obvious disagreement, the afore mentioned assassin was standing at the bottom of the foundry stairs, a surprise to both of them as they'd been so wrapped up in each other and Nyssa had approach with the same stealth as always.

"It's time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, this was just too long for me to go through and spell check or edit HTML in parts, so I'm sorry about that, I might come back and edit it at a later time.
> 
> Come chat on tumblr @ laurially.tumblr.com


	14. Of Two Weeks Apart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity goes out of town for two weeks and, in her absence, Team Arrow fill the foundry with bright colours because they miss her.

She'd only been gone for a couple of weeks and during that time she'd skyped at least one of her boys back home everyday.

But, still, the foundry grew so quickly cold and dark without her presence, her natural light - things were just different when she wasn't around. 

Roy missed Felicity a lot, having become close friends with her when he'd first joined the team. He'd been worried about being the outsider, the unneeded part to an already well oiled machine, but the IT girl had opened her arms and her heart to him immediately, joking with him and making him feel welcome.

Diggle knew Felicity better than anyone else down in that basement, having spent such great lengths of time with her in the re building of the foundry during Oliver's first return to Lian Yu and he'd grown used to her presence. John Diggle was good at what he did for Team arrow, but he enjoyed it because of Felicity, and without her he felt the moral dipping substantially.

Oliver was tougher on, well, everyone. He pushed Roy to his limits and then some in training, pounded his frustrations into sparring with Diggle and was more brutal - without killing, of course - in his crime fighting. His moods ranged from lime to lemon on the sour scale and his brooding - somehow - increased tenfold.

Sara knew to keep well away from the foundry in the other blonde's absence.

Then, one day, Roy walked into the lair with a red candle which he promptly placed on Felicity's desk beside her monitors before turning to answer to the questioning looks of his team mates.

"It's apple and vanilla." He shrugged, as though that explained anything.

"So why have you brought it down here?" Oliver bit out, glaring at the candle as if it offended him on a personal level.

"Well, it's just.. Felicity always smells like apples and vanilla, and I know we all miss her, so I just thought..." Roy trailed off, gaze firmly locked on the floor.

Diggle's features softened instantly, and he'd swear he saw a slight uptick to Oliver's lip.

The foundry was silent after that, though it was filled with far less tension than in recent weeks, with the familiar scent of their absent friend wafting through the space.

-

When Diggle found a light blue cardigan of Felicity's balled up in the back of the foundry and he hung it from the back of her chair, he told himself it was so she'd see it as soon as she returned.

Not so that he could pretend she'd just stepped out of the room for a moment

-

By the end of the first week, bright green and purple pillows had appeared on the ratty old couch and flowers were dotted around the space, as well as a small teddy bear wearing a yellow dress and glasses that Oliver swore he didn't buy.

Digg and Roy knew better.

-

When Felicity first punched in the ever familiar door code and began her decent down the metal staircase, she recoiled almost immediately as the strong smells hit her nose.

Finally reaching the basement floor and looking around, she was sure she must have walked into the wrong secret lair because this... was not how she remembered things.

Because when Felicity set off on her trip two weeks ago, there were no scented candles in assorted colours spread around the foundry, nor were there fluffy blankets or vibrant pillows. She definitely doesn't remember the teddy bear.

Before she had the chance to take in more of the space, she was being scooped up and spun around by two strong arms.

"Roy?!" She squealed, gripping the young man's shoulders for support.

"Never leave again." He mumbled into the shoulder where he'd buried his face as he clung to her.

"Aw, Roy, I missed you, too." Felicity cooed, rubbing at the back of his head, her feet still dangling above the ground.

Footsteps sounded from the other side of the room, and suddenly Digg was striding towards them, a wide small upon his face.

"Don't hog her, kid, Diggle wants some sunshine, too." 

"Sunshine?" Felicity giggled, even as she bounded happily towards the tall man and jumped up to hug him, placing a kiss to his cheek.

"I missed you, girl." He told her quietly, placing an equally soft kiss onto her rosy cheek.

Somehow, she sank even further into the warm embrace she'd missed so much and smiled lightly. 

"I missed you, too, John," She whispered, "Is Oliver here?"

 

"Hi." A gruff voice said from behind her, and she turned to see the man in question standing a few feet away with a light smile on his face. 

"Hey." She replied, waiting for Digg to release her so she could walk towards the vigilante. 

Felicity expected a hand on her shoulder, her cheek, even, if Oliver was feeling especially affectionate. She was not, however, expecting to be pulled forward as soon as she was within arms length of him and pressed tight against his broad chest, with two strong arms wrapped around her waist.

Letting out a startled yelp, Felicity flailed for a moment, before finally relaxing into her friend's embrace, raising her arms around his neck and feeling the tension there ebb away. 

"I missed you." He breathed, bending a little to rest his head on her shoulder. Neither saw the knowing looks their team mates were throwing in their direction, not that it mattered when they were reunited after two long weeks.

"I was only gone for two weeks, Oliver." She laughed, turning her head to face his, just as he raised it to look her in the eyes. The space left between them was close to non existent. 

"I know," he replied, quietly, looking a every bit like a lost puppy. How does he do that with his eyes, Felicity wondered, because her heart was breaking a little just looking at them, "I still missed you."

"Oh, sweetie, I missed you, too." She affirmed, earning her a bright grin just before Oliver buried his face back in the crook of her neck, where she could feel just how big his smile was against her skin.

"Oh, thank God!" Roy yelled, after another moment, effectively breaking the moment as the rooms other three occupants turned to stare at him, "I could not take another beating from Broody McHeart-eyes over there." 

Felicity looked back at Oliver to see a deep blush spreading over his face as he resolutely stared at the floor, and so she reached out a hand to his arm with a smile set on her face.

Turning so she could see everyone in the room, Felicity finally addressed the elephant in the room.

"So, is anyone going to explain the teddy bear?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought something happier and fluffier was required after the angst fest that was the previous chapter. Hope you enjoyed it!  
> Send me prompts on tumblr @ laurially.tumblr.com


	15. ...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr prompt from Anon: Hi there! Here be an Olicity prompt: Oliver doesn't fully understand just how smart Felicity is (graduating with a Masters from MIT at 19 is kind of insane), so some scenario arises where she gets to really make use of her smarts and impress everyone :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This might not be exactly what you were hoping for, anon, so please feel free to request the same thing again if you'd prefer something different.

The doors slammed shut almost two hours ago and despite Oliver's insistent banging, the thick metal wasn't budging. In fact, the loud sound oh him pushing and pounding against it was beginning to get on the team's nerves even _more_ than being locked in a tiny room, forced to complete tasks in order to save the city.

They'd been lured to a dark warehouse, Felicity having to come into the field as technical assistance, but upon their arrival they had all become surrounded from all angles, despite assurances that there would be five guys at the most. 

Oliver had pushed Felicity into the centre of the group, protecting her from the oncoming threat, but before a fight could ensue, a thick, green gas began to pour into the room.

None of them realised they had passed out until they woke up, locked tight in a small room with dry throats and ringing in their ears.

"Just stop, man, it's a thick steel door, you're not getting through it." Diggle voiced, finally, leaning back against a cold wall.

"So, what, we just give up?" Oliver demanded, spinning to face his team.

"No, we save our energy until we have an _actual_ chance." Felicity reasoned, resting her cheek against the cool, metal wall. 

She'd always been a little claustrophobic, and Oliver's refusal to just _sit down_ in the small space they'd been allowed was stressing her out even further.

"You okay, there, girl?" Diggle asked her quietly, shifting to sit a little closer to her.

Keeping her heated skin pressed against the wall, Felicity gave the slightest of nods, closing her eyes against a sudden wave of nausea.

A loud, high pitched ringing noise echoed through the space at an ear splitting volume. Oliver, who'd only just settled, went back to fully alert instantly. The rest of the team brought their hands up to cover their ears in a futile attempt to block out the deafening sound. 

"So sorry about that, Arrow & Co." A voice crackled, making the group finally notice the speakers in the corners of the room.

"Who the hell are you?" Roy yelled, looking directly at one of two security cameras mounted to the walls. 

"All in due time, Mr Harper," the voice sounded amused and all too knowing for anyone's liking, "now, I've brought you here to find out just how good you really are." 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sara called, rising to her feet in a defensive stance.

"It means, Miss Lance, that there are five bombs throughout the city. I will give you a task, and for each one you fail, a bomb will be armed. Good luck." 

The first four challenges passed with varying levels of difficulty, but the team managed to complete them all without error.Any confidence gained through their so far successes disappeared immediately as their fifth and final task was set. 

A small hole in the wall opened up, through which a tiny keyboard with only the number's one and zero on was passed, before it slammed shut again.

Roy was the first to reach out for it, about to press one of the keys when Felicity's hand shot out to stop him, laying the device gently on the floor.

"We don't know what he wants us to do with it yet - pressing the wrong thing now could have terrible repercussions." 

"Ah, very good, Miss Smoak," the voice came through the speakers once again, "I'm sure one of you has figured out by now what kind of bombs I'm using, so to disarm the final explosive, you must input each element I've used to build my bombs." 

"How the hell are we meant to do that if we only have two keys, neither of which are letters!" Roy yelled, his patience having worn as thin as it gets.

"Did I forget to mention? Each element must be in the form of binary code. You have one minute." There was a buzz and then the room filled with a brief silence, before one wall was lit up with a timer, starting at sixty and dropping rapidly. 

"But, this is impossible!" Oliver cried angrily, seeing no way in which their task would be completed successfully.

No response came from the voice, but suddenly Felicity was picking up the small keyboard and typing, her thumbs moving quickly over the keys. 

"Felicity, what are you doing?" Sara gasped, staring in shock as her blonde friend continued to hit the numbers in a quick and seemingly random fashion.

"I'm diffusing a bomb, what about you?" She responded sarcastically, putting all of her focus into the task at hand.

"Felicity, it's not possible" Oliver told her, earning himself an angry glare from Diggle. 

"Ignore 'em, girl. None of them seem to realise just how much of a genius you are." Digg said, quietly, but the sound travelled easily through the tiny space.

The timer projected on the wall started flashing red and beeping with every passing second as it reached it's final ten second countdown.

"Smoaky, whatever you're doing, I'm gonna need you to hurry up." Roy blurted, a light sheen of sweat appearing on his forehead. 

"I'm doing my best here, scarecrow!" She yelled back, hitting one of the keys twice more before the timer stopped abruptly.

There was a long few moments where nothing happened, when suddenly a bright green light flickered on. 

"What does this mean?" Sara whispered. 

"Something good, I hope." Oliver responded, quietly, looking around himself warily.

The door he had been banging against what felt like hours before began to slide open, revealing a much too bright light to the room.

"Congratulations, you're free to leave."

*

"I knew you were smart, but that was incredible." Oliver said quietly, pulling up a chair to sit beside Felicity at her desk in the foundry.

"It wasn't, he'd been dropping hints the whole time and-" 

"No, it was, Felicity," he reached over to take her hand, "It was amazing and remarkable and the single most impressive thing I've ever seen." 

She was forced to look away from him at that point, her face simply too red and slightly teary for her close friend to see. 

"Hey, look at me," Oliver urged, softly, "I'm sorry I haven't ever appreciated how smart and brilliant you are. If I'd known I never would have cornered you into being my assistant or treated you like you were any less than you are.

You're a genius and I took advantage of that without ever giving you the respect or credit you deserve and I'm so sorry for that, but I'd really like to make it up to you. If you'll let me." 

"I don't think I've ever heard you say that many words in one go before," she replied, teasingly "are you feeling all right?" 

"Are you going yo let me make it up to you or not?" he sighed, though there was a slight smile ticking at the corner of his lips.

"How?"

"Dinner?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I am so unhappy with this. Anon, I am sorry for this fic because it is just no.  
> I may return to this prompt at a later date and try and write something better in response to it, but right now this is all I have, I'm sorry.  
> Leave me promts, if you for some reason want to, on tumblr @ laurially.tumblr.com


	16. And no one has ever felt so loved

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Four people who love Felicity Smoak, and the one who loves her most.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For sakura-blossom62 on fanfiction, who wanted to see five people tell Felicity they love her.

**1**

A loud knock sounds against the mansion door at around five O'clock on a Saturday evening. Oliver straightens in his seat, turning away from the detective show he'd only been paying half his attention to, if that.

In his mind, he begins to run through a list of the names of all the people he knows, all the people who could be standing outside his door. Racking his brain, he tries to remember if he'd made plans with anyone, but he couldn't for the life of him think of any visitors he should be expecting.

The knocking starts again and he realises just how long he's been sitting in that position, lost in his paranoid over thinking of things as usual. Well, that's how Felicity puts it, he prefers to see it as minimising risks.

Silently, he moves towards the front door, switching into his now default setting of complete stealth. It almost makes him feel a little silly, because what kind of criminal knocks, but he's been through too much within the last few years to ever truly let his guard down.

He swings the door open just as the blonde on the other side is about to knock again. Her presence isn't surprising; Felicity is often by his side, whether for QC work or their, uh, nightly activities. Though, Oliver does wonder what it is that has brought her to him in this moment - he doesn't recall any talk of her stopping by and, usually, if she had important information for Arrow work she would call him or wait at the foundry, not come knocking at his door.

Her attire, though, is a little startling. Felicity stands before him in perhaps the most comfortable looking clothes he's ever seen her in; a pair of grey sweat pants and a blue T-shirt paired with black converse sneakers.

When he sees the tote bag slung over her left arm, he has to laugh because it's just so her. Upon it's white fabric, the words 'talk nerdy to me' are printed above a large pair of glasses, all in black ink.

"Not that it isn't nice to see you, Felicity," Oliver begins, "but what are you doing here?"

The woman in question raises both brows as a small smile plays at the corner of her lips.

"There's that famous Queen charm." She teases, and he responds by letting out that breathy laugh he reserves just for her.

"I'm sorry - good evening, Felicity, what can I do for you?" He corrects himself, earning a beaming smile in return.

"I got a call about a crisis," She explains, "The kind that can only be resolved with junk food and disney."

That was _definitely_ not a call Oliver made.

"Crisis? What are you ta-"

Before he can finish, a brunette hurricane is rushing down the stairs towards them. Oliver eyes his sister, clad in black leggings and an oversized pink jumper with matching fuzzy socks. He finds himself feeling overdressed in his own home, wearing fitted jeans and a button down shirt.

"Felicity, thank God you're here!" The youngest Queen sighs, throwing her arms around the blonde.

"I brought DVDs and snacks." Felicity responds, wiggling the bag on her arm as best she can while being encased in Thea's tight embrace.

"You're a God send, Smoaky, a _God send_."

Oliver stares at the odd pair wondering how he had never realised that the two most important women in his life were friends. Also, _Smoaky_?

"Is that Ben & Jerry's?" Thea squeals happily, staring down at something in the tote bag.

"Isn't that some kids show about a cat and mouse?" Oliver pipes up, curious as to why his sister would be getting so excited about such a thing.

In response, the two women fall silent and stare at him disapprovingly. Thea begins to shake her head at him as if she can't quite believe what he's just said to her, leaving Oliver more confused than he was before.

"No, Ollie, that's _Tom_ and Jerry. Ben  & Jerry's is heaven in a tub." She tells him, as if that explains it, like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"I brought cookie dough and chocolate fudge brownie - I couldn't get any mint chip because someone used the exact words 'nine one one, emergency, code red' so I kind of rushed over." Felicity adds, drawing Thea's attention back to the bag.

"You did get here pretty quick," the younger girl pauses for a moment, before she pecks the blonde on the cheek and links their arms together, guiding her towards the stairs, "Thank you, I love you."

"Yeah, yeah."

There's nothing for Oliver to do except watch the two girls walk away from him giggling - yes, _giggling_ \- to each other about who knows what.

**2**

Her heels click against the foundry's stairs as she sighs into the phone at her ear, moving slowly back up towards the club.

"So, give me that again. And slower this time." Felicity says, and now the sound of her steps echo through the large, empty club.

" _I got caught at the scene of a mugging. The cop recognised me from when I used to do that sort of stuff all the time, but I was just trying to help_." Roy's repeats, making a huffing sound not unlike a small child, " _He wouldn't listen, though, and the actual mugger obviously wasn't going to come to my aid, so now I'm sitting in the police station waiting for my super awesome, pretty friend to come and bail me out_."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Harper," Felicity chides, even as she's getting settled in her mini, "I'm on my way, just hang tight."

It doesn't take her long to reach the station and it takes even less time to locate the red hooded boy in the relatively calm precinct.

"Miss Smoak," Detective lance greets, smiling as he sees the blonde, "What can I do for you?"

"Hi, Detective, I'm here to get Roy." She explains, glancing over to the other side of the room where she sees him cuffed to a chair.

Quentin looks briefly between the two before he raises one questioning eyebrow at Felicity, not bothering to conceal the doubt or confusion spreading on his face, and maybe a little concern, too.

"He a friend of yours?" He asks, finally, sparing another glance in Roy's general direction.

"Yes."

Lance sighs, but nods his head once, before walking away from her. She sees him talking to one of the officers, before pointing briefly towards her, and then Roy is being uncuffed and walking towards her with a sheepish smile on his face.

"You don't half associate yourself with some odd people, Smoak." Lance comments as he passes them, but says no more on the matter and Felicity doesn't respond.

"Remind me why I'm here and not Thea?" She inquires, raising one eyebrow at the boy as they make their way towards her little car.

"Because Thea would tell Oliver and he'd get mad at me," Roy replies, though quickly realises it's not a good enough answer, "And because I love you?"

As much as she tries to fight it, and she _really_ does, Felicity has to smile a little at the response. Schooling her features into a very serious expression, she realises she can still have a little bit of fun with the situation.

"And what's going to stop _me_ from telling Oliver?" She asks, watching with great amusement as Roy's face pales.

"The fact that you love me, too," He tries, "and that the burgers we're gonna go get are on me?"

Finally she laughs, fully and happily, then shakes her head with an amused sigh.

Boy really needs to learn how to keep himself out of trouble.

**

3

**

"So, do I get to meet this famous Felicity or am I just going to have to go on the little snippets of information you give me?" Tommy asks his life long best friend, bumping his shoulder against his.

Oliver turns in his chair so he's facing the bar and picks up his beer, taking a long sip of it before he responds.

"I'm not sure whether I'd trust you with her, Tommy." He sighs, preparing himself for the response he knows is coming.

"Ouch, man, that hurts. When have I ever given you cause not to trust me?" The billionaire bats his eyes in a seemingly innocent manner, but Oliver sees the smirk pulling at his friend's lips, and so responds to the expression with two raised eyebrows and a deep frown.

"Oh, come on, Ollie. Just let me meet the girl! I promise I'll be my ever charming and lovely self."

"That's what worries me." Oliver grumbles, taking another swig of his drink before placing it back on the bar with a little more force than strictly necessary.

"You've really got it bad for this one, eh?" Tommy remarks, watching his best friend closely with an all too knowing gaze.

"No, Tommy, it's not that," Oliver responds, "She isn't like most of the girls we meet. She's not the kind you just pick up at a bar or charm into bed with you, okay? Felicity's different, she's special."

Tommy remains silent for a moment as he watches the man before him, this man he barely recognises as his trouble making partner in crime. He struggles to remember a time when he'd ever seen him like this, even where Laurel was involved.

"Okay, okay. So, I won't put the charm on with her. Scouts honor." He lays one hand on his chest and holds the other one up in front of him.

"You were never a scout, Merlyn." Oliver scowls, but goes no further when he sees a glint in his friend's eye.

For, across the floor of the busy night club, Tommy had spotted a blonde in a purple dress, looking entirely out of place in the scene, with her eyes glued to her phone.

He looks briefly back at Oliver, who has followed his gaze to the other side of the room and notes the recognition he sees flash there that confirms for him that this is the girl.

Faster than he's ever moved in his life, Tommy is off his stool and darting through the crowd towards her, Oliver hot on his tail as he realises what his friend is doing.

"Hello!" Tommy greets, excitedly, stopping only a foot in front of Felicity.

The blonde startles in surprise and nearly topples over as she jumps back, releasing a little yelping sound. Bringing her gaze up from the phone she'd nearly dropped, Felicity finds herself awkwardly looking into the eyes of one very ecstatic looking billionaire.

"Um, hi." She replies, feeling for once at a loss for words.

Over the beaming man's shoulder she spots Oliver - he's obviously trying to manouvre his way towards them but keeps getting stopped by people in the crowd, whether they be business men or scantily dressed women.

"You're Felicity, right?" Tommy asks, still grinning down at her. It makes her feel a little nervous but, somehow, also more at ease.

"I am." She responds, warily, wondering how it is that Tommy Merlyn knows who she is.

"I'm Tommy. Tommy Merlyn, it's so nice to finally meet you!" He beams, but instead of holding his hand out for her to shake he pulls the shocked woman into a quick hug.

_Is he drunk?_

"Yes, I know who you are," She wills the bout of nervous babbling not to come, but it's already too late because her mouth is moving and words are coming out at a rate even she can't process, "that sounded creepy. I meant, because of your company - well, your Father's company. And because Oliver talks about you a lot, not to mention the tabloids I've seen the two of you in from before... wait, did you say _finally_ meet me?"

Merlyn stares wide eyed at the girl, shocked by just how much talking she can cram into one small session. Oliver really hadn't been kidding about her.

His gaze isn't unkind, though, and his smile never falters as she talks. He's so used to pople treading carefully around him - whether it be because of his fortune or his formerly lost at sea best friend - so he finds that a little uncensored babbling is rather refreshing.

"Ollie's talked about you _plenty_. I've been waiting to put a face to the name." Tommy explains, grin widening when he notices the pretty blush rising on the woman's cheeks.

"Tommy!" Oliver calls, finally dragging himself away from the club goers and towards his two friends, "Stop bothering Felicity."

"Oh, he's not bothering me." Felicity tells him, smiling lightly at the two men.

"Yeah, _see_ , Ollie. I'm not bothering her." Tommy taunts, grinning broadly at his best friend before taking a step closer to Felicity just to piss him off.

Oliver glares at the other man, crossing his arms over his chest in a way that clearly says _I'm not amused_. Tommy just rolls his eyes before turning his attention back to the little blonde.

"Oliver, here, doesn't trust me with you, you see. Very protective, this one, but I can assure you I mean well." He explains, beaming brightly as Felicity turns her gaze briefly on Oliver with a raised eyebrow.

" _Over_ -protective, I think you mean." She huffs, earning a laugh from her new acquaintance and a glare from Oliver that quickly softens into a fond, if not exasperated, smile.

"I'm not over-protective, Felicity." Oliver sighs, shaking his head a little.

"Oh, you totally are, and most of the time it's completely unnecessary. For example, when I'm talking to your best friend," Felicity chides, waving her hand briefly towards a still beaming Tommy Merlyn, "And frankly, it's a little offensive that you think I need constant protection - I'm a big girl, you know, I can take care of myself. Sure, sometimes it's kind of sweet in a weird way but the rest of the time it's a little irritating and slightly overbearing."

Oliver looked down with an almost guilty looking expression on his face. Almost.

Tommy, however, seemed to be becoming increasingly amused by the second. There were few women he'd seen be bold enough to put Oliver Queen in his place and never had he seen it done in quite the same way Felicity did it.

"You know, Smoak," he begins, throwing his arm over the woman's shoulder casually, "I think we're going to be very good friends."

"Oh, please God no." the vigilante mutters, quietly, but of course the other blonde picks up on it.

"Oliver, give it a rest. If Tommy and I want to be friends, we will be. If you're going to continue acting like a petulant child, _you_ and I _won't_ be." She tells him forcefully, sticking her tongue out at the end for good measure.

"I love you, already." Merlyn announces, laughing at the surprised and slightly fearful look on his best friend's face, "Now, how do you feel about tequila?"

  
**4**

Her mother calls whilst she's in the foundry one night.

Donna Smoak squeals into the phone, complains about how little she sees of her daughter - but how she will _not_ be taking any more free trips to Starling in the foreseeable future - and drops many a not-so-subtle hint about how the girl works too much.

Felicity sighs back, rolling her eyes half-heartedly even though she knows her Mom can't see it.

There is a lull in the conversation for a moment and all Felicity hears is her mother's breathing -the boys had paused their training while the genius took the call, so as not to prompt unwanted questions, meaning the usual sounds of skin hitting skin (no, not like that, brain) or slapping against wood are absent.

"Mom?" Felicity asks, unsure as to whether the woman is still aware of the phone call or believes to have hung up - neither would surprise her.

"You know I love you, right?" Donna responds, eventually, in an uncharacteristically quiet voice.

"Of course I do, Mom, what's going on?"

Digg, Roy and Oliver all look her way in concern after having been pretending - unsuccessfully - not to listen in on the conversation.

"I just- I worry sometimes that you don't know how much I care about you," her mother chokes, "even with that clever little brain of yours."

"What's brought this on? Are you okay?"

"Yes, baby, I'm fine-" there's a sniffle on the other end of the line and Felicity knows for sure now that, if she could see her, there'd be tears leaking down her Mom's face, "I miss you, that's all. I miss you a lot."

"I miss you, too, but please don't cry." Felicity begs, because if her mother starts crying then she's going to start crying to, and then she'll have to deal with a group of very concerned and protective vigilantes hovering around her all night - not that that would be the worst thing in the world.

"I've gotta go, sweetie, but I love you very much and I'm so proud of you, okay?" She doesn't remember ever hearing her mother sound so sincere and _tired_. It chips away at her heart.

"I love you, too."

And then the call ends. Felicity slides carefully into her chair, ducking her head to hide the silent tears leaking down her cheeks.

Her boys leave her in peace, but the next morning, when she arrives at work, she finds two plane tickets to Vegas and back.

When she looks through the glass walls of Oliver's office and sees him obviously trying very hard to not be looking at her, she knows she doesn't have to ask who it's from.

**Oliver**

They were on the comms when it happened, both at opposite ends of the city. Felicity was sitting in the foundry, working at her computers whilst Oliver ran through the streets, clad in green leather, Roy not far behind.

It had been a long day, though, and the boys were currently doing a patrol, rather than a full planned out mission. For that reason, and that reason alone, Oliver didn't try to stop the bantering between his two team mates, as he knew they were both tired, and really just trying to stay awake at this point.

It was when Roy made some comment that Oliver didn't understand, but Felicity seemed to find hilarious, when it slipped out.

She was laughing none stop into her ear piece, gasping for breath, before she let out a sudden yelp followed by a muffled thud.

Both boys immediately froze, looking at eachother in concern, before asking the blonde if she was okay.

There was a long pause, in which Oliver got ready to turn and run the few miles back to the Verdant without stopping, until finally she responded.

"I'm good," she said, sounding slightly breathless, "I just laughed so hard I fell out of my chair."

Another short pause followed, before there was a sudden burst of laughter from Felicity's end of the line. Roy chuckles along with her and even Oliver has to smile, just a little.

"Oh, I've laughed so hard I can't get up," she whined, "someone come and pick me up off the floor, please?"

Roy replied first, laughing as he told her he'd head back her way.

Oliver, though? He's still not sure what possessed him to say it, whether it was the carefree tone of her voice or just how damn adorable she was.

"God, I love you."

There was a long silence, in which Roy stared in shocked horror at Oliver's equally surprised face, barely concealed by his hood.

He wondered briefly how he could be such an ass, falling in love with Felicity over the course of two long years and then finally blurting it out when they were miles apart, and thinking it was probably a mistake to say anything at all.

But then, she giggled a little, echoing through his earpiece, before breaking finally speaking.

"If I say I love you, too, will you come and save me from the floor? It's cold."

And he knew everything was going to be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, thoughts? Feedback makes a happy writer and a happy writer makes more chapters ;)  
> Seriously, though, I really hope you enjoyed this and thanks for reading!  
> Prompt me or just chat on Tumblr: @ laurially or on Twitter @laurially_
> 
> Also, yes, this does switch tenses a whole load through out, and I'm sorry but I just can not go through and change it all now.


	17. Chap 14: revisited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity goes out of town and returns to find Team Arrow have filled the foundry with things that remind them of her so it feels like she's still there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT: THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN POSTED BEFORE TO THIS STORY, A MISTAKE I DID NOT REALISE I HAD MADE. HOWEVER, BOTH THIS AND CHAPTER 14 ARE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT, SO BOTH ARE GOING TO BE LEFT UP, AND THE ACTUAL NEW CHAPTER WILL BE POSTED LATER TODAY. THANK YOU.

She'd only been gone for a couple of weeks and during that time she'd skyped at least one of her boys back home everyday.

But, still, the foundry grew so quickly cold and dark without her presence, her natural light. Things were just different when she wasn't around.

Roy missed Felicity a lot, having become close friends with her when he'd first joined the team. He'd been worried about being the outsider, the unneeded part to an already well oiled machine, but the IT girl had opened her arms and her heart to him immediately, joking with him and making him feel welcome.

Diggle knew Felicity better than anyone else down in that basement, having spent such great lengths of time with her in their time spent building the new foundry during Oliver's first return to Lian Yu and he'd grown used to her presence. John Diggle was good at what he did for Team arrow, but he enjoyed it because of Felicity, and without her he felt the moral dipping substantially.

Oliver was tougher on, well, everyone. He pushed Roy to his limits and then some in training, pounded his frustrations into sparring with Diggle and was more brutal - without killing, of course - in his crime fighting. His moods ranged from lime to lemon on the sour scale and his brooding - somehow - increased tenfold.

Sara knew to keep well away from the foundry in the other blonde's absence.

Then, one day, Roy walked into the lair with a red candle which he promptly placed on Felicity's desk beside her monitors before turning to answer to the questioning looks of his team mates.

"It's apple and vanilla." He shrugged, as though that explained anything.

"So why have you brought it down here?" Oliver bit out, glaring at the candle as if it offended him on a personal level.

"Well, it's just.. Felicity usually smells like apples and vanilla, and I know we all miss her, so I just thought..." Roy trailed off, gaze firmly locked on the floor.

Diggle's features softened instantly, and he'd swear he saw a slight uptick to Oliver's lip.

The foundry was silent after that, though it was filled with far less tension than in recent weeks, with the familiar scent of their absent friend wafting through the space.

-

When Diggle found a light blue cardigan of Felicity's balled up in the back of the foundry and he hung it from the back of her chair, he told himself it was so she'd see it as soon as she returned.

Not so that he could pretend she'd just stepped out of the room for a moment

-

By the end of the first week, bright green and purple pillows had appeared on the ratty old couch and flowers were dotted around the space, as well as a small teddy bear wearing a yellow dress and glasses that Oliver swore he didn't buy.

Digg and Roy knew better.

-

When Felicity first punched in the ever familiar door code and began her decent down the metal staircase, she recoiled almost immediately as the strong smells hit her nose.

Finally reaching the basement floor and looking around, she was sure she must have walked into the wrong secret lair because this... was not how she remembered things.

Because when Felicity set off on her trip two weeks ago, there were no scented candles in assorted colours spread around the foundry, nor were there fluffy blankets or vibrant pillows. She definitely doesn't remember the teddy bear.

Before she had the chance to take in more of the space, she was being scooped up and spun around by two strong arms.

"Roy?!" She squeaked, gripping the young man's shoulders for support.

"Never leave again." He mumbled into her shoulder, where he'd buried his face as he clung to her.

"Aw, Roy, I missed you, too." Felicity cooed, rubbing at the back of his head, her feet still dangling above the ground.

Footsteps sounded from the other side of the room, and suddenly Digg was striding towards them, a wide small upon his face.

"Don't hog her, kid, Diggle wants some sunshine, too."

"Sunshine?" Felicity giggled, even as she bounded happily towards the tall man and jumped up to hug him, placing a kiss to his cheek.

"I missed you, girl." He told her quietly, placing an equally soft kiss onto her rosy cheek.

Somehow, she sank even further into the warm embrace she'd missed so much and smiled lightly.

"I missed you, too, John," She whispered, "Is Oliver here?"

Before he had the chance to reply, Oliver appeared in her line of sight, silently as ever, with a small smile on his face. He strode towards her, Diggle stepping back as the other man grew closer, and raised both arms towards her.

She expected him to simply lay his hands on her shoulders, but was pleasantly surprised when he used them to pull her into his chest. Her initial shock wore off quickly, though, and she raised her own arms to wrap around his shoulders, raising on her toes to do so.

"Felicity." He sighed into her hair, a warm breath against her ear, arms tightening around her waist.

"Hey." She replied, though it sounded more like a question even to her own ears.

"I just- I really missed you." Oliver breathed, burying his face into the space between her neck and shoulder, inhaling the sweet scent of her hair.

Roy had been right; apples and vanilla.

If possible, Felicity felt herself softening even more against him, practically melting into his embrace.

"I missed you, too," she murmured, afraid she'd break their quite moment if she spoke too loud, "I promise I'll come back sooner next time."

Suddenly, Oliver pulled back slightly to look into her face, his arms still holding her securely against himself.

"No next times," he stated, "no more leaving."

Even they both knew it was an irrational request, Felicity found herself nodding her agreement anyway, earning a bright grin from Oliver.

"Good." He whispered, before pulling her back into his chest.

A few moments silence passed before Felicity couldn't wait any longer to ask, pulling her head back to look into Oliver's eyes.

"So, are we going to talk about the bear sitting on my desk, or...?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this has been in the works for a while now, but with exams coming up, this has been my first chance to finish and post it. I'm ill at the minute, a cold/flu type thing, so hopefully I'll bee able to get a few more chapters written over the next few days while I'm at home.  
> Hope you enjoyed this one and, as always, comments are really, really appreciated - I read every single one. Thanks a lot, guys :))


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